Noble Osprey: Two-minute review

Ah, the Noble Osprey; see how the majestic raptor hovers over its prey, watching with beady eyes as the young trout — wait, what do you mean this isn’t the first few words of a David Attenborough narration? Oh. I’m glad you told me that now.

The Noble Osprey are, in fact, a new pair of true wireless earbuds from the premium audio brand Noble. They’re not cheap, relatively speaking (and this is a crowded market), but they do undercut some of the best earbuds on the market to have graced our testing process. They're also more wallet-friendly than other buds from the brand such as the Noble FoKus Amadeus and FoKus Rex5, making them a little more competitive than what’s come before.

Despite this cheaper price, the Osprey also share a few traits with their siblings. They have another distinct marbled look, this time in blue, and again a focus on high-quality audio, with a refined V-shaped sound profile and support for LDAC.

I really wanted to like the Osprey; I tested the FoKus Apollo over-ears which sounded fantastic, and love an earbud that’s focusing on refined, higher-resolution sound instead of an omnipresent thumping bass. But over the several weeks of testing, I repeatedly found myself opting for other buds over the Osprey, which isn’t a good sign.

Unlike the namesake birds, gliding unbothered in the sky, the Osprey are certainly susceptible to the force of gravity… that is to say, they just wouldn’t stay in my ears. I tested the various sizes and shapes of ear tips offered in the box, and even rotated and twisted the buds around uncomfortable angles to see if I could lodge them into my ear, but no cigar.

I don’t mean they wobbled when I went for a run; I could be sitting stock still and they’d slide (I hesitate to use the word 'yeeted', but there it is) straight out of my ears of their own accord. Even cooking or eating was a challenge with them in; they’d fall out so frequently I’d always just remove them — or replace them with a pair I wasn’t testing.

The problem was incessant and it sowed in me a reticence to use the buds. This sentiment colored my entire time with them. I don’t think I’ve ever used a set of earbuds that fit as poorly (well, a tip-toting pair at least; they draw with the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4) as the Noble Osprey.

I'm only laboring the point because it is a real shame. There’s a lot to like in these buds. They look distinctive, offering some of the flair of wired, Shure-adjacent IEMs but without the wire. The case is lovely and small, and holds a fair amount of charge too.

And the audio quality from these Noble earpieces is also good (when you can keep them in), offering a V-shaped presentation but with delicate, sparkling trebles and a refined low-end that’s rich in detail. The use of dual drivers as well as LDAC and Bluetooth 6.0 compatibility ensures you’re getting that extra sonic oomph you’re paying for. I just wish the buds would stay in my ears so I could appreciate the sound quality more…

Noble Osprey review: Price and release date

• Announced on June 2, 2026, shipped later that month
• Selling for $199 / £199 / AU$292
• Undercuts Noble's other buds, AirPods Pro and Galaxy Buds Pro

Announced on the 2nd June, 2026, the Noble Osprey were shipped to early buyers by the end of the month.

They cost $199 / £199 / AU$292, so they’re priced just a hair below the AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, but in the same rough ‘premium wireless earbuds’ area that indicates these are top-tier buds.

Not highest-tier, I suppose, when you consider Noble’s other buds. The Rex5 cost $449 / £419 / AU$699, literally twice as much as the Osprey, so this bird-named pair of buds is still a very affordable model as far as Noble is concerned.

Noble Osprey review: Specs

Noble Osprey review: Features

• Minimum 5 hours listening, 7 hours without ANC
• Passable ANC, but struggles in wind
• App offers EQ, but not much more

The Noble Osprey are earbuds designed for audiophiles, and battery life is often a department that sees culls in favor of driving those various drivers (and powering the necessary antiphase tech for noise nixing). Case in point, the Osprey only last for five hours of listening when you've got ANC enabled.

That timespan extends to seven hours if you turn off ANC, which is a reasonable figure. The 35-hour battery life of the case is also reasonable too, and I've tested plenty of earbuds that don't offer that amount of extra juice.

Talking of the ANC, it's passable, but nothing to write home about — the Osprey won't be joining our best noise-cancelling earbuds guide any time soon. It stripped away the rumble of a bus and dampened the whirr of a nearby washing machine, but didn't offer the near-silence that many rivals do. They often struggled with wind too.

The Noble Osprey app offers a few useful features, including the ability to customize what the buds' touch controls do, turning off (or on) ANC, and toggling the Bluetooth tone switch.

The main tool, though, is the equalizer, offering a 10-band EQ or the choice between six presets. It's a rather effective EQ, letting you pull the music in various directions, and you can save various custom modes in addition to the presets.

If you don't think you'll use the equalizer, though, the app's not really worth downloading; it doesn't offer that much else, and there's a dearth of extra features that often crop up in consumer-grade earbuds.

• Features score: 3.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Design

• Svelte carry case
• Attractive blue marbled design
• Not designed to stick in the ear

You’ve read the introduction, you know that the Noble Osprey buds simply wouldn’t stay in my ears, no matter what I tried. And before the “why didn’t you…” of the comments section: trust me, I test buds for a living, this is not my first rodeo. It took very little motion to dislodge them from my ears: going on walks, sitting on a bumpy bus, moving about while cooking.

This was more than a minor annoyance; I basically couldn’t use them if I wasn’t sitting still at a desk, and even then the fit was unreliable. When they started to slip, they fell fast, tanking the audio quality and, if I tried to push them back into my ears, causing me to accidentally press the on-bud buttons.

Now and then I managed to lodge them in my ears in a way that, temporarily at least, kept them locked in position, and once or twice I managed to go on a walk with the buds. But this wasn’t reliable, caused my ears to ache, and still required me to adjust the fit almost constantly.

What’s the problem? They’re not the lightest buds I’ve ever tested, weighing 6.5g, but that shouldn’t be enough to hurt the fit. At a guess, it’s the top-heavy weighting of the buds themselves, though the lack of any friction in the tips (or perhaps a fin to help them lodge into ears) doesn’t help either.

Not only is it infuriating to constantly adjust the earbuds in your ear, it runs the risk of knocking the touch controls on each. It’s only a risk, though, and not a guarantee, because I found the controls quite unreliable to trigger.

The Osprey come in a lovely-looking azure charging case — azure until it gets scuffed up, which happened very quickly for me, making it look a little less lovely.

Said case is pretty small, with the buds nestled into it nicely, and it's light in weight, tipping the scales to 61g. I couldn’t find any information suggesting they’re IP rated, but the case certainly feels solid enough to protect the buds from a drop.

• Design score: 2.5/5

Noble Osprey: Sound quality

• 10mm + BA driver
• Refined V-shaped sound
• LDAC support

Putting aside fit issues (which are hard to put aside when they affect sound quality so frequently — but play nice!), the Noble Osprey sound really good.

Each bud has been kitted out with a 10mm dynamic driver, plus a balanced armature driver, and they combine to create a refined V-shaped sound.

Bass is cohesive and scooping, holding a distinct space in the mix without overriding higher-end frequencies. Treble is sharp and bright, giving vocals sparkle and adding energy to string or brass stings. And while the mids aren’t as prominent in the mix as, say, bass, they hold enough space that music doesn’t feel like there’s some void in the middle.

Songs like Don McCloskey’s First in Flight let the various higher-frequency instruments, and the dancing bassline, all sit separately without descending into one chaotic mush. Acoustic guitars and vocals don’t clash like they do in cheaper buds, like in Charlie Mars’ She Ain’t Coming Back, which retains detail and timbre.

Helping this detail is the Osprey’s support for LDAC, for an upgrade over SBC or AAC.

The dual drivers bring another benefit: audio spacing. There’s distinct placement and a broad soundstage present in music here. How to get it? Try Yi Nantiro’s Oasis, which sees the harp dance around your periphery, or the London Symphony Orchestra’s recent recording of Holst’s The Planets, in which you can basically point to where each section of the orchestra was seated during the live recording.

The Osprey get pretty loud too if you push them, only distorting when you’re at the highest few volume increments. I didn’t go anywhere near that loud for most of my listening, but I appreciate that you can listen at higher volumes without losing quality.

• Sound quality: 4.5/5

Noble Osprey review: Value

• Rather affordable compared to audiophile buds
• Expensive compared to consumer-grade ones
• Don't offer the complete package like same-priced rivals do

The Noble Osprey sit with a foot (or claw? Talon?) in two camps. On one side, they're affordable audiophile earbuds, designed for listeners who care about music quality above all else. On the other, they're premium models for the average consumer, who wants a more balanced overall package.

Unfortunately, while the Noble Osprey sound really good, I'm not sure they sound $200 good. The distinction between them and same-price Apple, Bose or Sony rivals isn't pronounced enough, when you consider that those buds tend to offer a more balanced design and wider feature set.

Sure, audiophiles who only consider audio quality might not want those other features, but it's still a high price. For the same cost as the Osprey, you can get other buds that work even better.

• Value: 3/5

Should I buy the Noble Osprey?

Buy them if…

Don’t buy them if…

Noble Osprey review: Also consider

Want to see what other earbuds your money can get you? Here are some alternatives for roughly the same price.

How I tested the Noble Osprey

• Tested for one month
• Paired with two different Android phones
• Used for various activities and tasks

I used the Noble Osprey for roughly a month before writing this review, and the writing process added at least a week more of testing time. I began by using the pre-attached ear tips, and cycled through various in-box options, before settling on the two-tiered tips you see in the pictures.

During that span, they were paired to two different Android smartphones: a Motorola Edge 70 Fusion, and a Realme 13 Pro Plus, both times with the app installed on the phone. Mostly, music listening was done with Spotify and Tidal, while Prime Video and Now were used for movies — and various games got a look-in, too. I also used them for some calls and voice notes.

Initially, I used the earbuds for a wide range of tasks, including going for walks around my area, commuting or travelling on various forms of public transport, and while doing activities around my house. Towards the end of the testing process, when the fit issue made other uses frustrating, I only used them while seated at a desk. I completely omitted several tasks that are part of my usual testing process, including gym trips and runs.

I've been reviewing tech for TechRadar since 2019, which has seen me use countless earbuds and audio products.

• First reviewed in July 2026

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

• A Reddit user's RTX 5090 has partially melted a PCIe riser cable
• Some of the riser cable's material is stuck on the RTX 5090's backplate
• It's not as serious a concern as connector melting issues, but it's worth being cautious about riser cable and GPU spacing henceforth

Building a new gaming PC in 2026 and beyond is a tough ask for any gamer amid the RAM crisis, and that's why this case of caution around hardware components is vital.

As reported by TweakTown, a Reddit user has reported a partially melted Lian Li PCIe riser cable due to heat from direct contact with the Asus TUF GeForce RTX 5090 backplate. The material chipped away from the riser cable is evident on the GPU's backplate, but fortunately it isn't a substantial amount.

Riser cables are an ideal solution for any PC builder aiming for a small case that can fit larger GPUs by placing them in a vertical position. In this case, the user specifically notes that the riser cable was stuck against the GPU's backplate during a routine PC cleanup, suggesting that the GPU's heat melted the riser cable's insulation.

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that the RTX 5090 is involved in a case of components melting (even if it's very minimal). In case you've missed them, there have been several cases of GPU power cables melting with RTX 5090 GPUs, which stems from the high power draw (575 W).

It's important to note, though, that this can happen with other GPUs across AMD's Radeon and Nvidia's RTX cards, especially those that can get quite toasty under heavy load. However, Team Green's flagship is likely more prone to melting complications, made worse when using cheap riser cables or GPU power connectors.

Rtx 5090 melted riser cable from r/pcmasterrace

Fellow Redditors argue that this isn't a melting issue, as it appears the riser cable has been chipped away instead. Regardless of the exact cause, it's best to use this as an example to proceed with caution when mounting a new GPU.

If using a riser cable is required due to space limitations, users must provide enough clearance for both the GPU and the riser cable to avoid direct contact. It's a great thing that this user caught on to the matter before any real issue arose.

We've reached out to Nvidia to see if it has any comment on this particular case, but haven't received a response yet — but I'm sure the same warning of caution will be shared.

We've seen rare but far worse cases of GPUs melting, and given how expensive it would be to buy new PC hardware, I'd go so far as to suggest users be overly cautious.

I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to portable charging. I love testing the many power banks, USB-C chargers and newer Amazon brands available to see whether they can really do what they claim, and how well they hold up day to day.

Since most of us need a spare power bank, wall charger or cable sooner or later, these products are always worth checking during Amazon's Prime Day sales.

With Prime Day 2026 now underway in Australia, I've rounded up my favourite power bank and charger deals below.

Many of these are the same models I recommend in my best power banks guide, including picks from Iniu, Anker, ZMI, Ugreen and more.

Based on my testing, there are also a few Amazon charging brands I’d be cautious about — including Veektomx, Charmast and Heymix — with the latter having some rather worrying reviews.

All the deals below are Exclusive Prime prices, so if you don't have membership already, sign up now and get a 30-day free trial that you can cancel any time.

Best Prime Day power bank deals

Best Prime Day charger and cable deals

More Amazon Prime Day deals in Australia

• All the best Amazon Prime Day 2026 deals
• Best Prime Day deals under AU$100
• Best Prime Day vacuum cleaner deals
• Best Prime Day headphone deals
• Best Prime Day Apple deals
• Best Prime Day Garmin deals
• Best Prime Day coffee machine deals

Looking to grab yourself some office essentials, must-have tech around the home or a cheap gift for the techies in your life? Amazon Prime Day is here and I've found the best deals under AU$50 below.

With these big discounts, less than fifty bucks is all you need to grab a high-quality power bank to keep your phone charged on the go, a seriously good pair of earbuds, or some handy smart home tech you didn't even know you needed. You can even pick up keyboards for your WFH setup for under AU$50, plus a whole lot more for cheap.

With thousands of such offers on Amazon scattered all over the place, it's not easy to find these gems. So I've done the hard work for you. I've picked 50 of best Prime Day deals under AU$50 that I would spend my own cash on.

Note that most of the offers below are exclusive to Prime members, so it would be better if you were a subscriber already. If you aren't, you can sign up now and get a 30-day free trial, and you can cancel any time.

For more discounts, be sure to follow our live coverage of the Amazon sale, with upwards of 85% off on over hundreds of tech items.

Not all kitchens are made the same and I'm sure there are many of you who, like me, lament the lack of countertop space, think you need to compromise when choosing appliances like air fryers.

Not so, dear reader, as the Ninja DoubleStack proves. The XXXL version of this fantastic air fryer gets you two 4L drawers that can cook up to 4 dishes at the same time. And that's without taking up as much space as other two-basket air fryers. Better yet, it's discounted to its lowest price yet of just AU$189.05 on Amazon for Prime Day, which is excellent value.

At this price, it's arguably the best Prime Day air fryer deal I've seen so far, but I'm pleased to inform you that there are other just as good deals on different models that might suit you better. In fact, you can even opt for Philips' take on the DoubleStack if you want, although it is more expensive even with a discount. Still, it's a newer model with newer tech under the hood.

I'm even thrilled that the Ninja Crispi also has a great discount on Amazon. All in all, there are a fair few options to choose from, and I've listed my favourite 5 Prime Day air fryer deals below.

• Follow our dedicated live coverage of the best Amazon Prime Day 2026 deals for more great discounts

The best Prime Day air fryer deals in Australia

Quordle was one of the original Wordle alternatives and is still going strong now more than 1,500 games later. It offers a genuine challenge, though, so read on if you need some Quordle hints today — or scroll down further for the answers.

Enjoy playing word games? You can also check out my NYT Connections today and NYT Strands today pages for hints and answers for those puzzles, while Marc's Wordle today column covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

Quordle today (game #1625) — hint #1 — Vowels

* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).

Quordle today (game #1625) — hint #2 — repeated letters

Quordle today (game #1625) — hint #3 — uncommon letters

Quordle today (game #1625) — hint #4 — starting letters (1)

If you just want to know the answers at this stage, simply scroll down. If you're not ready yet then here's one more clue to make things a lot easier:

Quordle today (game #1625) — hint #5 — starting letters (2)

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

Quordle today (game #1625) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle, game #1625, are…

• ARRAY
• SUITE
• KIOSK
• BOULE

As is often the case with five-vowel games, this was a tricky.

It took me an age of experimentation and head scratching before I finally saw KIOSK after putting the three letters I knew in the I-O-S order and seeing if anything would fit either end. What a relief to get there in the end!

Hopefully it wasn’t as painful for your noggin as it was for mine.

Daily Sequence today (game #1625) — the answers

The answers to today's Quordle Daily Sequence, game #1625, are…

• VIRAL
• CHAIN
• MIRTH
• TIARA

Quordle answers: The past 20

• Quordle #1624, Monday, 6 July: TRAWL, SPICE, PIANO, SHARK
• Quordle #1623, Sunday, 5 July: PINEY, SWOON, TITLE, PINTO
• Quordle #1622, Saturday, 4 July: ARGUE, MOTEL, OPERA, TRUCE
• Quordle #1621, Friday, 3 July: AVERT, MOTOR, MANIC, WORDY
• Quordle #1620, Thursday, 2 July: BULKY, PARSE, BELOW, MOVIE
• Quordle #1619, Wednesday, 1 July: EASEL, OTTER, LYRIC, SHACK
• Quordle #1618, Tuesday, 30 June: HALVE, DRYER, THERE, MINTY
• Quordle #1617, Monday, 29 June: SLURP, CRACK, CRANK, PHONY
• Quordle #1616, Sunday, 28 June: RUPEE, TOPAZ, FULLY, BEING
• Quordle #1615, Saturday, 27 June: PRINT, MARRY, SADLY, BICEP
• Quordle #1614, Friday, 26 June: JUICE, ARRAY, BONEY, SKIFF
• Quordle #1613, Thursday, 25 June: SHELF, TAWNY, HYPER, SOLVE
• Quordle #1612, Wednesday, 24 June: SOBER, ECLAT, GOOSE, NINNY
• Quordle #1611, Tuesday, 23 June: ARDOR, DADDY, SERVE, SHEAR
• Quordle #1610, Monday, 22 June: WAXEN, APNEA, CHIME, WAVER
• Quordle #1609, Sunday, 21 June: ABBOT, NOTCH, DREAD, LURID
• Quordle #1608, Saturday, 20 June: SLAIN, TAMER, VIPER, FALSE
• Quordle #1607, Friday, 19 June: ALOUD, POINT, GLOBE, GROIN
• Quordle #1606, Thursday, 18 June: LATCH, BRAWL, STEEL, CRUSH
• Quordle #1605, Wednesday, 17 June: HOIST, PLUSH, GROUP, LEMUR

Good morning! Let's play Connections, the NYT's clever word game that challenges you to group answers in various categories. It can be tough, so read on if you need Connections hints.

What should you do once you've finished? Why, play some more word games of course. I've also got daily Strands hints and answers and Quordle hints and answers articles if you need help for those too, while Marc's Wordle today page covers the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Connections today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Connections today (game #1122) - today's words

Today's NYT Connections words are…

• PLOT
• DISCOUNT
• JOCK
• COLBERT
• LETTERMAN
• FRENCH
• LEMON
• KITCHEN
• BERNIE
• HALL
• OLIVER
• TEAM CAPTAIN
• STUDY
• SAN ANSELMO
• ALL-AMERICAN
• CONSERVATORY

NYT Connections today (game #1122) - hint #1 - group hints

What are some clues for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: Featured in a mysterious board game
• GREEN: College sports types
• BLUE: Add a turn
• PURPLE: Henson creations

Need more clues?

We're firmly in spoiler territory now, but read on if you want to know what the four theme answers are for today's NYT Connections puzzles…

NYT Connections today (game #1122) - hint #2 - group answers

What are the answers for today's NYT Connections groups?

• YELLOW: ROOMS IN CLUE
• GREEN: STUDENT-ATHLETE DESIGNATIONS
• BLUE: ___ TWIST
• PURPLE: ENDING IN "SESAME STREET" CHARACTERS

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Connections today (game #1122) - the answers

The answers to today's Connections, game #1122, are…

• YELLOW: ROOMS IN CLUE: CONSERVATORY, HALL, KITCHEN, STUDY
• GREEN: STUDENT-ATHLETE DESIGNATIONS: ALL-AMERICAN, JOCK, LETTERMAN, TEAM CAPTAIN
• BLUE: ___ TWIST: FRENCH, LEMON, OLIVER, PLOT
• PURPLE: ENDING IN "SESAME STREET" CHARACTERS: BERNIE, COLBERT, DISCOUNT, SAN ANSELMO

• My rating: Hard
• My score: 1 mistake

The game of Clue has come up a couple of times in Connections — previously we had weapons and characters — and although I’ve never played it I was familiar with Colonel Mustard and somehow knew that a candlestick could be used as murder weapon.

This time, though, I got ROOMS IN CLUE just because they were also, erm rooms.

My mistake came in trying to make sense of the final eight tiles, first making an utterly random quartet and then taking some time and spotting Bert, Ernie, Count and Elmo.

Yesterday's NYT Connections answers (Monday, July 6, 2026, game #1121)

• YELLOW: STUNNING NEWS: BOMBSHELL, REVELATION, SHOCKER, THUNDERBOLT
• GREEN: SCIENCE FAIR MODEL SUBJECTS: ATOM, DNA, SOLAR SYSTEM, VOLCANO
• BLUE: ACME PRODUCTS USED BY WILE E. COYOTE: EARTHQUAKE PILLS, IRON BIRD SEED, ROCKET SKATES, TNT
• PURPLE: STARTING WITH DATING APPS: BUMBLEBEE, GRIND RAIL, MATCHA, TINDERBOX

Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle, Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun. It can be difficult, though, so read on for my Strands hints.

Want more word-based fun? Then check out my NYT Connections today and Quordle today pages for hints and answers for those games, and Marc's Wordle today page for the original viral word game.

SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.

NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #1 - today's theme

NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #2 - clue words

Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system.

• CARGO
• GATE
• SLATE
• CHAIR
• REAR
• GORE

NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #3 - spangram letters

NYT Strands today (game #856) - hint #4 - spangram position

Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM.

NYT Strands today (game #856) - the answers

The answers to today's Strands, game #856, are…

• CART
• BUGGY
• WAGON
• CARRIAGE
• STAGECOACH
• SLEIGH
• SPANGRAM: IGETAROUND

• My rating: Easy
• My score: Perfect

I was having a merry old ride around this board until the final word and spangram slowed me down to a standstill.

Spangrams like IGETAROUND really are my nemesis and I came close, but not that close, to using a hint, but thankfully saw the unseasonal SLEIGH just in time before I disappeared into a letter-soup haze.

Finding non-game words was actually a good deal harder and I struggled to find the six required for this page.

Yesterday's NYT Strands answers (Monday, July 6, game #855)

• BLOOM
• EXPAND
• SPREAD
• FLOURISH
• THRIVE
• BURGEON
• SPANGRAM: SUMMERTIME

Missed out on the EOFY discounts on Garmin tech, or were you just holding out for a better deal? Well, you’re in luck — Amazon Prime Day 2026 in Australia is a great time to pick up a new Garmin device at a bargain price.

Amazon stocks a whole heap of Garmin’s offerings, like its wide range of smartwatches and wearables, health-tracking devices, dash cams and dedicated GPS satellite navigation (sat nav) displays. The retailer is also where you can often find the best deals on these premium devices, and Prime Day will see a whole heap of discounts for even more savings.

Most of the deals, however, will likely come from the best Garmin watches, like these discounts on the Fenix E, Forerunner 965 and the ultra-rugged Instinct 2, but I’ll be keeping track of further deals until Prime Day finishes up on July 13.

Having used Garmin watches for years, I personally consider some of the brands’ offerings the best smartwatches to fit my lifestyle, prioritising fitness and health features with just enough smarts to be a capable extension for your smartphone.

Plus, you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get into the Garmin ecosystem (yes, it’s a thing if you do certain sports and activities) — one of our best fitness trackers is the brilliant Vivoactive 6, which we rated 4.5 stars for its balance of features and affordability.

It’s worth noting that the best deals will be exclusive to Amazon Prime members (which I have labelled), so it’s worth re-subscribing if you were a past member. If it’s your first time, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial and still get access to these discounts.

Whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s the top-of-the-line watch or you just need a replacement charging cable, there’s a Garmin deal for you at this year’s Amazon Prime Day sale.

Best Prime Day 2026 Garmin deals in Australia

Smartwatch deals

Other Garmin deals

Prime Day 2026 in Australia: sale information

Amazon Prime Day 2026 in Australia has officially kicked off, with a whole week of deals and discounts on a wide range of products.

Leading the charge, as always, are Amazon's own devices, with record-low prices of AU$59 on the Fire TV Stick Plus and some steep discounts on Blink and Ring security cameras.

We’ve also seen some fantastic deals from Samsung, Logitech, JBL, Ugreen, Breville and more, with discounts on smart trackers, peripherals, speakers, coffee machines and chargers to name a few.

With so many deals live, I would advise that if you see a deal you like, you might as well grab it now or risk missing out when it runs out of stock later on.

Yes, it’s still called Prime Day, but it’s a week-long event with the sale lasting 7 days, ending at 11:59pm AEST on Monday, July 13. Be sure to arm yourself with a Prime membership because the best prices will be exclusive to subscribers. If you've never tried the service before, you can sign up now and use the 30-day free trial to shop the sale, then cancel if you don't want to pay the ongoing fee of AU$9.99p/m.

The best Amazon deals under AU$100

Headphones and earbuds

Chargers and power banks

Small appliances

Smart home

Speakers

Peripherals

Wearables and trackers

Personal care

Jump back to the start ↑

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Amazon Prime Day has landed! And while that means there are plenty of tantalising deals and discounts to sink your teeth into — you can view all of our latest finds in our live coverage of the sale — it's the Prime Day headphone deals that I've got my eyes set on.

Yes, headphones are regularly one of the standout categories during any Amazon sales event, but Prime Day is the one that usually sees the biggest savings, and this year is no different.

If you've been looking to upgrade your personal listening, you're in good hands with me. Not only do I know how to spot a great deal, but I also know which pairs of headphones — whether they be over-ear, in-ear, noise cancelling, whatever — are worth buying. That's because I not only look after home entertainment and audio for TechRadar here in Australia, but I'm also the Editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine. I quite literally live and breathe audio.

And it appears we've been spoilt this Prime Day, as I've already spotted a plethora of fantastic discounts on top-rated headphones — and it's only day one!

Standouts so far include the AirPods Pro 3 dropping to their lowest-ever price of just AU$299, the superb 1More SonoFlow over-ears are now available for under AU$100, and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless can be picked up for a steal at AU$259.

There's plenty more where that came from, so be sure to check out all of the Prime Day headphone deals below. I've separated them by style, to make it even easier for you to find what you're looking for.

The best Prime Day Australia headphone deals 2026

Over-ear headphones

In-ear headphones

Open earbuds

Wired earbuds

Prime Day 2026 in Australia: all you need to know

The prepaid carrier Mint Mobile was already one of the best value prepaid carriers on the market, but a new deal at the carrier has just made it an even stronger choice for thrifty customers this week.

For a limited time, you'll be able to get any of the carrier's plans for just $15/mo. That includes the popular unlimited data plan, which is half price with this excellent promotion this week.

Breaking this deal down, you'll be paying just $180 upfront for a full year of service, which is an astoundingly low price for a plan that includes unlimited talk, text, and 50GB of high-speed 5G data per month.

Frustratingly, this deal does appear to be for new customers, so existing Mint users will have to sit this one out for now. If you are looking to switch up your plan for something a little cheaper, however, then this could be your ticket to some serious savings this year versus the big names.

Get a full year of cheap unlimited data at Mint Mobile

• See more: check out all of today's deals at Mint Mobile

Note that today's excellent discount on the unlimited plan is not the only deal available at Mint Mobile this week. Right now, you can get a huge discount of up to $1,080 on the latest Galaxy S26 series with a new plan and trade-in. I've attached details on that deal below, but note that it's almost sold out already!

Also available at Mint Mobile this week

Most people use ChatGPT like they’re walking up to a stranger and starting a new conversation every single time.

You open a new chat, explain what you need, add a bit of context, correct the tone, ask it to be more concise, then finally get something useful. And then, the next time you need the same kind of help, you do the whole thing all over again.

That’s fine if you’re asking something random each time. But if you use AI regularly for the same kinds of tasks, it’s a surprisingly inefficient way to work.

The solution is simple: stop starting from scratch.

Instead of treating every chat as a blank page, you can build reusable conversations that already know the job, tone, and desired output. Here’s how I use that one habit to save time every week.

A simple trick

So, we know what we want to do — remove repeated setups for prompts, make the AI’s first answer better, and reduce the amount of refining you need to do afterward. But how do we do it? Here’s the clever bit - you get the AI to do it for you.

Load up one of your previous chats that was productive and worthwhile. Then at the end I want you to copy and paste this:

“Turn this conversation into a reusable prompt I can paste into a new chat next time. Include the goal, tone, format, constraints and the steps you followed. Make it general enough that I can reuse it with similar tasks.”

Your AI will give you a handy prompt you can use whenever you like now to get a chat that’s exactly what you want.

My meal planner prompt

I now have a reusable prompt for meal planning. Instead of starting from scratch every week, I paste in a short prompt that already knows the rules: I want quick family meals, nothing too expensive, leftovers if possible, and a shopping list organized by supermarket section. Then I add whatever’s in the fridge and how many nights I need to cover.

Here it is:

“You are helping me plan practical family meals for the week. Prioritize meals that are quick, affordable, not too fussy, and likely to produce leftovers. Ask me what ingredients I already have before suggesting anything. Then give me:

A simple meal plan

A shopping list grouped by supermarket section

Any ingredients I can reuse across multiple meals

One backup meal in case I don’t feel like cooking”

This has saved me so much time planning meals in the evening.

A tool that remembers you

Before you get too carried away with this idea, remember that reusable prompts are useful but not infallible. A reusable prompt is only worth saving if it produces better work, not just more predictable work. If your saved prompt is too vague, too bossy, or based on a weak workflow, you’ll just get the same mediocre output, but delivered faster.

Having said that, using reusable prompts has been the biggest change I’ve made to how I use ChatGPT. When a conversation works, I don’t let it disappear. I turn it into a reusable starting point.

If you stop starting every ChatGPT conversation from scratch, ChatGPT starts feeling much less like a conversation with a stranger and more like a chat with a tool that actually remembers how you work.

If you spotted some tempting deals on coffee machines during the recent EOFY sales in Australia, but couldn't quite commit to the purchase, don't fret, because I've found a number of superb Prime Day coffee machine deals that are just as good (if not better).

That's great news if you're anything like me and can't start the day without a morning cuppa. Even better, Amazon stocks models from all the biggest brands, including Philips, Breville, Sunbeam, Ninja, Nespresso and a whole lot more.

Within those brands are machines of varying styles — pod, bean-to-cup, fully automatic, you get the idea. Put simply, if you know the type of coffee machine that will work best for your household, there's a good chance Amazon stocks it, and an equally good chance that it's on sale for Prime Day.

If you need a little bit of guidance, I currently use the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series and it is, quite simply, a dream machine. My partner and I have our personal recipes saved to individual profiles, and so we have coffee in hand at the touch of a couple of buttons. It's currently on sale with a 39% discount.

If you want to browse a wider selection, keep scrolling, as I'll be keeping this page updated throughout Prime Day with only the finest coffee machine discounts.

As is the case with other Prime Day deals, it can help to be a Prime member as there are exclusive discounts on some models (I've labelled these), which will save you more. If you're a first-time customer, Amazon will give you a 30-day free trial and you can cancel any time.

Best Prime Day 2026 coffee machines deals in Australia

Automatic coffee machines

Manual coffee machines

Capsule coffee machines

Prime Day 2026 in Australia: all you need to know

Missed out on picking up a cheap vacuum cleaner during EOFY? Or were you just holding out? If the latter, then well done, you, because Amazon Prime Day 2026 in Australia is a fantastic opportunity to suck up a whole lotta savings on a powerful vacuum cleaner (pun intended).

That's because Amazon stocks a wide variety of models from major brands, including Dyson and Shark, but let's not forget: there are always excellent robot vacuum cleaner deals too.

Then again, you might not want a stick vacuum or a robovac — perhaps you'd much prefer the traditional barrel kind. You'll find discounts on those too, especially if you're a Miele fan, which I sincerely hope you are as the German brand still makes excellent corded vacuums.

No matter what kind of household you are — pet-friendly, hard floor, mixed floor, full carpet — there's a vacuum that's right for you and I've been tested all kinds for nearly a decade. I've gone through all the Prime Day vacuum cleaner deals on Amazon AU right now and handpicked the best of the best from all the trusted brands, so you know you'll get excellent performance and value from the model you choose.

It would be good for you to be a Prime member as there are exclusive discounts on some models (I've labelled these), which will save you more. If you're a first-time customer, Amazon will give you a 30-day free trial and you can cancel any time.

Best Prime Day 2026 vacuum deals in Australia

Stick vacuum deals

Robot vacuum deals

Wet-dry floor washer deals

Upright vacuum deals

Corded vacuum deals

Prime Day 2026 in Australia: sale information

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: 30-second review

Before we all get confused, and I well might be, Geekom is selling the GeekBook X16 Pro laptop series in the USA, but it most likely isn’t the model that they supplied me for review purposes.

According to Geekom’s own website, the retail hardware comes with either a Core Ultra 9 185H or a Core Ultra 5 125H CPU, both mobile chips from Intel’s 100 series stable.

These machines come with 32GB of LPDDR5X memory and 2TB of SSD storage, sport Arc graphics and AI Boost.

That’s a decent amount of power for a laptop, and to keep the 16-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution IPS panel running through a working day, it has a 77Wh battery inside.

My review hardware had the same Core Ultra 9 platform and screen, less RAM and storage, but more battery capacity. Apparently, this design went through some late changes, and considering how heavy the review machine was, many of these were positive changes.

The cost savings Geekom made to offer this laptop at the modest asking price of around $1350 mean there is only one USB4 port, the webcam is only 2MP, and the keyboard and touchpad aren’t the best quality.

How much those things impact you will depend on how you are likely to use it, but this laptop isn’t built to the level of a $2000 machine from Acer, Dell, HP or Lenovo.

That said, the underlying platform is solid, even if you can’t expand the memory, and with a USB 4.0 port, it can be attached to a Dock if you need more ports or more than two displays.

Geekom includes a basic USB-C Dock in the box, so those who need a wired LAN port won’t need a full Dock or adapter.

This isn’t the best business laptop I’ve tested, but it's far from the worst, and demonstrates that you can get relatively recent platforms in these form factors if you are prepared to compromise on some aspects.

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Price and availability

• How much does it cost? From $999
• When is it out? Available now in the USA
• Where can you get it? Direct from Geekom or online retailers

Geekom built its name on mini PCs, and the GeekBook X16 Pro is one of its first proper laptops. It launched primarily in the United States, where pricing has swung widely between around $949 and $1,599 depending on configuration and whatever promotion happens to be running that week.

At the time of writing, it can be bought directly from Geekom or via online retailers like Amazon.com and Best Buy.

The review unit supplied pairs the Intel Core Ultra 9 185H with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB drive. This does not match either of Geekom's advertised configurations, which list the Ultra 9 185H alongside 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage, or the Ultra 5 125H with 32GB and 1TB.

In the US, the Ultra 9 model with 32GB of RAM and 2TB of storage costs $1,349 directly from the maker, the same price at which it can be bought from Amazon.com. The Ultra 5 option with the same 32GB and 1TB of RAM is $999.

The price on Best Buy for the Ultra 9 model is the same $1,349, but curiously, Newegg is asking $2,086.99 for the same hardware.

As Geekom is not a brand with the kudos of other laptop makers, it would seem reasonable to assume that it would undercut the better names. And, it does in general.

But that’s mostly because the big names have moved on to either Ultra 200 or 300 class processors, and therefore, what they’re offering is more powerful.

As an example, the Dell 16 Plus sells for $1429.99 in the USA. It comes with 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB of storage. But critically, it has an Ultra 7 256V processor and that comes with ARC graphics. Admittedly, boosting that to 32GB of RAM will jump it to $1,899.99, but you do get a touch screen with that model.

If the Geekom X16 Pro were closer to $1000 for maybe a Core Ultra 7 class CPU, it might be a better value, but from a corporate viewpoint, it needs to be a better deal to push an Intel platform that is already a couple of generations back.

• Value: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Specs

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Design

• Magnesium-aluminium chassis
• Diverges from the retail model
• Ports aren't labelled

Let’s start by saying that the GeekBook X16 Pro sent to me deviated from the specifications presented for the retail model in several significant ways.

Firstly, it has 16GB of RAM, whereas all retail SKUs have 32GB, and it has 1TB of storage, which isn’t available on the model with the Core Ultra 9 processor.

The biggest difference with my hardware was that it wasn’t the same weight as the retail model is quoted to be, and the reason is undoubtedly that it had a 99.98Whr battery, not the 77Whr that Geekom mentions in the specification.

The specs also mention a MicroSD card slot, but that wasn’t on the review machine.

It’s my assumption, and I can be wrong, that the rest of this equipment is roughly the same as the retail version, but there are no guarantees here.

Geekom has machined the GeekBook X16 Pro from a single piece of magnesium alloy, and that heritage shows in the finish. The Titanium Gray coating feels warm rather than cold to the touch, and there is no flex anywhere across the lid or the keyboard deck. While not the highest quality finish, it doesn’t feel cheap either.

Where the design pitch starts to wobble is the weight. Geekom lists the X16 Pro at 1.27kg, a figure that would make it one of the lightest 16-inch laptops around. The review unit weighs a whopping 1.75kg on the scales, nearly half a kilogram heavier than advertised, and that difference is obvious the moment you lift it one-handed. A laptop sold on featherweight portability should not feel like this in the hand.

This weight discrepancy, I’m confident, is down to the battery that Geekom used in the review hardware. Which is much larger than the one that is on the official spec sheet.

Port selection is generous for something this slim, with two USB-C connections, two USB-A, a full-size HDMI, and a headphone jack.

The frustration is that none of them is labelled with a speed. One USB-C runs at USB4 and the other only at USB 3.2, and there is no visual way to tell which is which, short of plugging something in and checking. For a laptop aimed at people who might use a fast external drive or a high-bandwidth dock, that is a genuine oversight from Geekom, and worth calling out plainly rather than glossing over.

The keyboard includes a full number pad, which is a genuine convenience on a 16-inch chassis and something plenty of rivals leave out. Typing feel is a little on the spongy side rather than crisp, so anyone coming from a firmer keyboard may need a short adjustment period.

The keyboard is workable, but I’m less convinced by the trackpad. It does the job for general navigation and gestures, but it does not feel as refined as the rest of the machine, and precision clicking is not its strong suit.

Those buying a 16-inch laptop clearly want a good display, and the IPS panel on this machine offers 2.5K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. That extra vertical space suits spreadsheets, documents and code far better than a standard 16:9 screen, and scrolling feels smooth thanks to the higher refresh rate.

Geekom quotes 100 per cent sRGB coverage, which is close enough for everyday creative work without needing a colour-calibrated reference screen.

Since many business machines get small upgrades during their working life, I like to take the backs off laptops to see what is possible on that front.

Removing the underside requires removing nine screws with a T5 screwdriver, but once they’re out, it's relatively easy to detach. Inside, the battery can be replaced, and there is an unoccupied M.2 2230 slot. While the 2230 drive is an easy upgrade, the primary slot is 2280, so I’d probably recommend cloning the supplied drive to a larger one using that slot first.

The capacities of M.2 2230 aren’t great right now.

Also, these days, all memory comes pre-soldered, so the RAM in this system is the maximum it will ever have, even if the processors used on it can address 96GB.

Overall, this is one of those designs that is somewhat bland and lacks any sort of signature feature, but for many customers, that’s exactly what they want.

• Design: 4.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Hardware

• Intel Core Ultra 9 185H
• Modest AI capability
• Wasted PCIe lanes

The Intel Core Ultra 9 185H is the flagship chip from Intel's first Core Ultra family, known internally as Meteor Lake. It packs sixteen cores across three types: six performance cores, eight efficiency cores and two low-power efficiency cores, giving it real flexibility between raw speed and battery-sensitive multitasking. Turbo clocks reach 5.1 GHz, and in daily use, that translates into a chip that handles heavy browser sessions, office work, and moderate creative tasks without complaint. Cinebench multicore scores sit comfortably above a thousand points, proof that the hybrid layout genuinely pays off rather than existing purely as a marketing slide.

Graphics duties fall to an integrated Arc GPU built from eight Xe cores, clocked up to 2.35GHz. This was the point where Meteor Lake felt like a proper step forward. Games at modest settings run smoothly, video timelines scrub without stutter, and general graphical work feels far removed from the older Iris chips it replaced. It will never trouble a discrete GPU, but for a laptop chip doing double duty as a workstation and a light gaming machine, it earns its keep.

Then there is the NPU, which Intel calls AI Boost on this silicon. On its own, the dedicated neural engine delivers around 11 TOPS. Add contributions from the CPU and GPU, and Intel quotes a platform total of 35 TOPS. That was a genuinely new capability when Meteor Lake launched, letting local AI tasks like background blur, transcription and some generative features run without leaning on the cloud.

The trouble is that time moves fast in Silicon. Microsoft set the bar for its Copilot Plus program at 40 TOPS from the NPU alone, and the 185H simply does not reach it.

Intel's 200 series chips, split between Lunar Lake and Arrow Lake depending on the segment, push NPU performance well past 40 TOPS on the Lunar Lake side. The newer 300 series, built on Panther Lake, goes further still, pairing a stronger NPU with a genuine jump in graphics performance too.

So is the 185H still worth having? Yes, with a clear head about what it is. It remains a strong general-purpose chip for everyday work, and its Arc graphics still beat plenty of rivals from its own generation. What it is not is a true Copilot Plus chip, and anyone chasing the latest on device AI features should look at the newer series instead. Judged simply as a capable, well-rounded laptop processor for typical work, there is still very little to complain about here. It has aged into a dependable middle child rather than a has-been, useful for exactly the sort of laptop you might have in front of you now.

Where this design isn’t well-served is that the Core Ultra 9 supports 28 PCI lanes (PCI 5.0 and 4.0), and the ports provided use hardly any of them. Given how much unused PCIe bandwidth was available, why is only one USB-C port USB4 spec? This chipset does support Thunderbolt, and if this were a Mini PC at this price point, I’d be expecting that, but only one USB4 port is poor considering the small army of unused PCIe lanes.

When I look at the number of mini PCs and laptops using this Meteor Lake silicon, I’m inclined to conclude that Intel made far too many of these wafers and now has unused bins clogging the channel they use to move 200- and 300-series chips.

If that’s an accurate analysis, then we’re likely to see more machines like the X16 Pro, where Intel attempts to flog them off before they’re four generations back.

• Hardware: 3.5 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Performance

Before I talk about this comparison, I need to address the elephant reclining on the sofa using this laptop, and that’s the lack of continuity between the review hardware I tested and the retail GeekBook X16 Pro options. While the amount of RAM and the SSD model might well have altered some of these numbers, the one big difference is that the review hardware had a battery with 99.99Whr of capacity, whereas the retail hardware only has 77Whr.

In testing, this machine lasted 23 hours and 21 minutes, and if that is adjusted pro rata to the 77Whr battery size, a projected running time of approximately 1079 minutes, or roughly 17 hours, 59 minutes. If I assume that the retail machine has 32GB of RAM, double that of the review hardware, then that extra overhead in keeping the memory alive would bring the running time down to 17 hours, which is exactly what Geekom is quoting.

That’s a decent amount of time, and should cover even a long working day for those who live to work.

The other benchmarks presented here, I’m less concerned, might be different from a retail GeekBook, since the platform is unlikely to be different to what I tested.

My comparison machine, the Acer Swift Edge 14 AI, is a smaller display option, but it uses a newer 200 series processor, the Intel Core Ultra 7 258V.

As is evident, the improvements Intel made between Meteor Lake and Luna Lake weren’t subtle, and the Core i7 on the Acer performs better pretty much across the board. It’s dramatically better on single-core exercise, even if in some situations the GPU utilisation is slightly better on the older chip.

And, for those wondering about 300 series silicon, like the Intel Core Ultra 7 355 on the Samsung Galaxy Book6 Enterprise Edition, I recently covered, it performs even better.

There is no ‘golden age’ of mobile processors to discover, and the newest ones are genuinely better in almost every respect.

What isn’t covered in these benchmarks is AI, and that’s lucky for the GeekBook, because it would get slapped by any 200 or 300 series processor, even a Core Ultra 5 variant.

Overall, if you are looking for a workmanlike system with decent battery life and adequate performance for office tasks, the GeekBook X16 Pro ticks enough boxes. But it’s not a machine for power users or creatives, unsurprisingly.

For those interested in the screen, I gave it a full analysis using the Datacolor Spyder X2 Ultra, and it was better than I’d anticipated for a side-lit IPS screen.

The gamut representation was 98% sRGB and 78% AdobeRGB and P3, which is fine. The brightness is capped at just over 300 nits, and the contrast is at about 1060:1.

The weaknesses of this panel are a mediocre tone response and poor white point accuracy.

But the usual challenges of luminance and colour uniformity aren’t a big issue here.

Overall, the screen is better than I’ve seen on some big-name brands, even if it can’t compete with the AMLOED displays that some products rock.

• Performance: 4 / 5

Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro: Final verdict

Since the review hardware patently wasn’t the one I was sent, I feel justified in being somewhat coy about endorsing it unreservedly.

What I’m hoping customers of Geekom are getting is roughly the same chassis, screen and platform, but with more memory, more storage and 23% less battery. And, it's much lighter than the one I got, which is difficult to hold in one hand when it's open.

If that’s the case, this is an interesting option for those wanting a reasonably punchy machine without burning through the budget entirely on the latest processor platforms.

The only thing I’d like to see from this brand is more attention to detail, especially in respect of labelling ports. This would have been less of an issue if both USB-C ports had been USB4, and there are few valid excuses I’d take for why they aren't.

Those points aside, and with a trackpad that might have been better, there are many positive aspects of this design that, only a few years ago, might have been described as a flagship model.

It isn’t cheap, but with rising memory and storage costs, hardware at this price might look like more of a bargain in a couple of years. And, compared with 200 and 300 series machines, it's on the budget-friendly side of the line.

Where I’d be careful with this hardware is deploying it to a student, because it's difficult to assess how much abuse it can take, and it's not easy to fit in a smaller backpack.

But with prices on the rise, a machine with this silicon, screen, memory and storage for less than $1500 isn't a bad deal, and it can only get better in the coming months.

Should you buy a Geekom GeekBook X16 Pro?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

• USA vs Belgium Kick-Off time: Tuesday, July 7 | 1am BST / 8pm ET (Mon) / 10am AEST
• Watch free on BBC (UK) / SBS (AUS) / CazéTV's YouTube (Brazil)
• Unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (60-day money back guarantee)

Co-hosts USA have been boosted by the news that Folarin Balogun is available for their FIFA World Cup 2026 last-16 clash with Belgium in Seattle — and you can live stream the game around the world for free.

Balogun went from hero to zero in the 2-0 win over Bosnia in the last 32, scoring his third goal of the tournament before receiving a straight red card for a clumsy challenge on Tarik Muharemovic in the second half. USA's top goalscorer looked set to miss the clash with Belgium as a result, but FIFA announced on Sunday that his one-match ban would be suspended for one year - with US President Donald Trump later revealing that he had asked FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino to review the decision. It is a huge boost for USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino, whose team are the last co-hosts left in the competition after Canada and Mexico exited over the weekend.

Seattle is familiar territory for Belgium, who drew their opening match against Egypt here before returning for their dramatic last-32 win over Senegal. The Red Devils looked dead and buried in the latter game as they entered the closing stages trailing 2-0, but Romelu Lukaku and captain Youri Tielemans scored in quick succession to take the contest to extra-time, before Tielemans slotted home a controversial penalty with virtually the last kick of the match. Manager Rudi Garcia will know his side got out of jail and must improve against the USA, with Lukaku pushing to start after making an impact off the bench.

So, read on as we show you exactly how to watch USA vs Belgium for free from anywhere in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

USA vs Belgium Team News

USA XI: Freese; Dest, Richards, A Robinson, Ream, Freeman; Adams, McKennie, Tillman; Pulisic, Balogun.

Subs: Turner, Brady, Trusty, M Robinson, Arfsten, McKenzie, Scally, Reyna, Berhalter, Pepi, Aaronson, Wright, Weah, Zendejas.

Belgium XI: Courtois; Mechele, De Cuyper, Castagne, Ngoy; Tielemans, Raskin, Onana; Trossard, Lukebakio, De Ketelaere.

Subs: Lammens, Penders, Debast, Theate, Meunier, De Winter, Seys, Witsel, De Bruyne, Moreira, Vanaken, Saelemaekers, Lukaku, Doku, Fernandez-Pardo.

How to watch USA vs Belgium for free

USA vs Belgium is available to watch for free in multiple countries, including the UK, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey.

• 🇬🇧 UK: BBC (English commentary)
• 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS On Demand (English commentary)
• 🇧🇷 Brazil: CazéTV's YouTube (no account required)
• 🇧🇪 Belgium: RTBF / VRT
• 🇫🇷 France: M6
• 🇩🇪 Germany: Das Erste
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: RTE Player (English commentary)
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NOS
• 🇳🇿 New Zealand: TVNZ
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland: SRF Play / RTS Play / RSI Play
• 🇹🇷 Turkey: TRT

Abroad? Can't access your free stream? Unblock your free World Cup stream with Norton VPN — more on that below.

Use a VPN to watch USA vs Belgium live streams

It’s the World Cup, and if you’re traveling, you might discover your usual USA vs Belgium stream is suddenly unavailable due to geo-restrictions.

Don’t worry, that’s exactly where a VPN can help. A virtual private network lets you connect to servers around the world so you can securely access your usual World Cup coverage as if you were back home.

We recommend Norton VPN. Here's why:

How to watch USA vs Belgium in the US

US viewers can watch USA vs Belgium on Fox.

You can watch every World Cup game on Fox and FS1, which are available on cord-cutters like YouTube TV (free trial), Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV.

Those looking for a streaming service instead can watch USA vs Belgium on Fox One (3-day free trial).

Visiting the US from the UK? You can still watch your World Cup stream for free thanks to Norton VPN (try for 60 days).

How to watch USA vs Belgium in the UK

UK customers are in luck as they can stream USA vs Belgium for free on BBC. Live coverage is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

You require a TV license and a valid UK postcode for an account (e.g. SE1 7PB).

Norton VPN can unlock your stream if you're abroad today.

How to watch USA vs Belgium in Australia

USA vs Belgium will be shown for free in Australia on SBS On Demand.

The streaming platform has every game of the tournament for free, making it the perfect place for your World Cup viewing.

Traveling for work or on holiday? A VPN like Norton VPN can help unlock your free stream.

How to watch USA vs Belgium in Canada

In Canada, TSN will be broadcasting USA vs Belgium.

You can live stream via the TSN+ streaming platform, which costs CA$8 per month or CA$80 per year.

Outside of Canada? Use Norton VPN whilst you're traveling away from home to unlock your stream.

USA vs Belgium: Match Information

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

It's here: Amazon's 2026 Prime Day sale in Australia is officially live, with thousands of deals on everything from coffee makers, robot vacuums and smart home devices to Apple products, smartwatches and more.

• Shop Amazon's full Prime Day sale

As a TechRadar veteran of 10 years, I've covered every single Amazon sale we've had in Australia since the online retail giant made its debut in December 2017, and I've learnt a thing or two on how to quickly find the best tech deals that are actually worth spending on. I'm also leveraging my entire team's expertise on finding the best products at worthwhile prices. Between us, we've already dug up 100+ deals on day one, and we still have a full week of shopping ahead of us!

There are amazing Prime Day deals on Apple products, and we've also got a dedicated collection of the best Garmin deals too. You can also take a look at our picks of the best Prime Day vacuum deals or the best Prime Day headphone deals, while our list of the best Prime Day coffee machine deals will have you salivating.

Other deal highlights on day one include the AirPods Pro 3 for just AU$299 and a whopping 73% off the Dreame X40 Ultra robot vacuum.

I'll be covering the entire sale live, so stick with me, dear reader, while I bring you more highlights all through till Monday, July 13, when Prime Day officially ends. Just be sure you have a Prime membership as most of the discounts below list the exclusive prices for subscribers. You can sign up now and get a 30-day free trial that you can cancel any time.

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Today's best deals

Best deals under AU$100

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Welcome to day one of Amazon's weeklong Prime Day event. Yes, another 7-day sale, which begs the question: can we really please just start calling it Prime Week now?

No matter the name, day one always has the best and most exciting deals, so my team and I are looking forward to sharing our favourite offers throughout the day. We'll continue to do so through the entirety of the sale, of course.

Something to keep in mind while shopping today's sale is that the hottest offers will sell out before the sale is over. My advice: if you see a record-low price on an item you want, add it to your cart and check out before it's too late.

Let's start with the freebies, shall we?

Freebies: yes, in the plural. Because there isn't just one free thing to enjoy, but three, depending on your personal preference for reading or listening. You can sign up for one, or two or, heck, why not all three?! After all, freebies!

OK, enough waffling – I'll get to the point.

You can get Music Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited and Audible for free right now — or rather with extended free trials if you're a new or returning customer. You get three months free of Kindle Unlimited and Audible, but Music Unlimited is arguably better value with four months free and includes audiobooks too.

That's a lot of reading and listening if you ask me. I've already signed up for Kindle Unlimited and am enjoying the Bill Bryson-edited Seeing Further: The Story of Science and the Royal Society (yeah, I'm a history and science nerd).

Audible: three months free, then AU$8.99/m
Amazon Kindle Unlimited: three months free, then AU$13.99/m
Amazon Music Unlimited: four months free, then AU$13.99/m

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Free DoorDash, anyone?

Of course there's more free stuff during Prime Day!

In fact, this one is a perk for all Prime members (even existing ones), but you will need to remember to claim it before the offer ends later this year.

Current or new Prime members get free DoorDash deliveries for the next two years (as well as other DashPass benefits). A typical 2-year DashPass subscription would cost you AU$192, so this is massive savings right here.

This perk can be redeemed via the offer page on Amazon, and you have until November 14, 2026 to do so. Plenty of time, but don't forget about it!

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A soundbar for your desk?

Let's face it, the built-in speakers in your laptop and monitor just doesn't sound great, and I'm sure you've been tempted to upgrade to proper speakers for your desk.

Bookshelf speakers are usually my go-to over those smaller ones we've grown up with, but they can take precious desk real estate — so that setup may not work for everyone.

But what if you can add a soundbar underneath your monitor, just like your TV in the living room? Thankfully, you can with BlueAnt's Soundblade under-monitor soundbar. It has 120W power for rich audio and deep bass, and there are plenty of connectivity options like Bluetooth or a 3.5mm Aux jack. BlueAnt is also an Australian company, if that's something important to you.

The best part is it's discounted by a whopping 69% off to just AU$94 for Prime Day!

BlueAnt Soundblade under-monitor soundbar: was AU$299 now AU$94

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Alexa, is there an Echo inside the car?

You don't need the latest automobile technology to gets some smarts in a car. The Amazon Echo Auto makes it easy to add hands-free Alexa to your older car, letting you stay connected and entertained while you drive. With Alexa on the go, you can ask for directions, play your favourite music, switch podcasts, listen to audiobooks, or even make calls.

I should note that the Echo Auto may not be compatible with all old cars. Thankfully Amazon has a handy list of models you can check before you make a purchase like this. Even if you don't need it, perhaps a loved one would find it handy – it could be a thoughtful gift.

Thanks to its five built-in microphones, it picks up your voice clearly over road noise, air conditioning, or even chatty passengers. If you use Android, this is a great travel companion, and right now, it's available at 63% off, which is a record-low price for the latest release (AU$2 less than what it was last week).

Echo Auto: AU$99 AU$37

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An unmissable AirPods deal

Well, I'm happy to be proven wrong, but I'm already calling this AU$130 saving on the sublime AirPods Pro 3 as the best deal of Amazon Prime Day this year. That's a new all-time low price in Australia, and it makes Apple's flagship earbuds even more compelling.

The latest generation of Apple's ubiquitous 'buds deliver their best sound yet alongside class-leading ANC performance. The fit has been vastly improved too, with the Pro 3s feeling even more secure in the ear. The improved fit helps ensure the built-in heart rate monitor works as intended too — yep, these in-ears can monitor your pulse, making them even more versatile as a great set of workout headphones (they're fully water- and sweatproof too).

Throw in spatial audio support and up to 8 hours of battery life on a single charge, and you have yourself a truly wonderful set of earbuds that are a must-consider for any iPhone owner.

Apple AirPods Pro 3: was AU$429 AU$299

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Complete coffee convenience

Coffee machines come in a wide range of styles to suit all budgets. For sheer convenience however, you can't go wrong with a fully automatic machine, and the Philips LatteGo 4400 Series is a fantastic example.

This compact machine is great for smaller households, owing to its two profiles to store drink preferences. It can make 12 coffee-based drinks, including iced options, and each is produced to perfection.

• View all the latest Prime Day coffee machine deals

It also features a milk frothing system, although as you'll read in our Philips LatteGo 4400 Series review, the results are mixed. I should also point out that this machine did drop to AU$594 during the Big Smile Sale earlier this year, but that was thanks to an extra AU$125 coupon provided by Amazon. That coupon hasn't appeared this time around, but a 39% saving on a machine that will up your at-home coffee game is still well worth checking out.

Philips 4400 Series LatteGo: AU$1,199 now AU$689

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• A mistake meant an iPhone user sent ‘sensitive’ texts to the wrong person
• Their partner’s phone number was associated with the wrong device
• The error happened when their partner didn’t properly reset their iPhone

When you sell an old iPhone, do you really know that it’s been fully wiped and disconnected from all your accounts? Because if you don’t, the consequences could be terrible — as one unfortunate Redditor has just vividly demonstrated. This particular story should come as a warning to any iPhone user who is thinking of getting rid of their device.

The Reddit thread in question has the alarming headline of "I may have accidentally been texting a child instead of my boyfriend?" It includes screenshots that show a conversation with someone who claimed that “You have the wrong number. This is a child’s phone.”

Worse, the original poster confided that the messages erroneously sent to the child’s device included “sensitive pictures” and “sensitive messages.” “I am mortified,” they revealed.

It appears that this mix-up could be the result of the poster's partner not fully resetting their iPhone and disconnecting it from their Messages account — something Apple specifically advises you to do if you sell an iPhone and replace it with an Android device.

As a result, messages that were sent to their partner's number were directed to their old device, not their new one, resulting in the humiliating situation they described. And interestingly, this appears to be a problem explicitly linked to switching from an iPhone to an Android device.

Here’s what you can do

Luckily, there are a few ways to avoid falling into a similar situation yourself. And it’s important that you get it right. If you don’t, not only is the potential for embarrassment high, it could put your privacy and even your financial data at risk if you accidentally send it to the wrong person.

If you’re about to sell your old iPhone and replace it with an Android alternative, the first thing you’ll want to do is back up your device. This is so you’ve got a way to restore your iPhone if anything goes wrong. You can back up your phone to your computer, a Mac or a PC — just follow Apple’s instructions and you’ll be set.

The next step is to deregister iMessage. Ensure your SIM card is in your old iPhone and you’re connected to a cellular network, then open the Settings app and go to Apps > Messages. There, disable the toggle next to iMessage to turn it off. Finally, if you got rid of the iPhone before you could deregister iMessage, Apple has a special web page where you can carry out the process safely.

There are other steps you’ll need to consider. First, go to Apps > FaceTime in the Settings app and turn off the toggle next to FaceTime. If you’ve got an Apple Watch, it should be unpaired, and if you’re subscribed to AppleCare+, you’ll need to transfer that to your new device or cancel your coverage. Then, sign out of your Apple Account by navigating to Settings > [Your Name] > Sign Out.

Once all that’s complete, there are still a few steps you’ll need to do before your iPhone is fully reset (assuming you haven’t already disposed of it). Open the Settings app and head to General, scroll to the bottom, then tap Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings. Follow the on-screen prompts and your iPhone will be completely reset to factory settings.

Finally, the very last thing to do is to remove your old iPhone from your list of trusted devices in your Apple Account. Once that’s done, you’ll be safe to get rid of it.

Remember these tips when it comes time to move on from your old iPhone, especially if you’re going to replace it with an Android device. Otherwise, you could end up in the unfortunate position of sending texts to an unwitting recipient — along with all the potentially sensitive material those messages might contain.

• Revamped Lemur Pro offers more powerful internals and a massive battery life win for its Linux-based customers
• Ultraportable-class laptop offers two screen sizes and up to 18 hours of 'multi-day' battery life
• Users can also choose to skip Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, in addition to an optional webcam and microphone

System 76, a Denver, Colorado-based company which focuses on selling systems with Linux preinstalled, has refreshed its 2020 Lemur Pro, offering major internal upgrades, multiple display options, and battery life that parallels that of a MacBook Air.

At just under 1 kg for the 14-inch variant and 1.34kg for the 16-inch variant, it is also the lightest Linux-first laptop in the business in the 14-inch form factor, despite packing a battery with a rated 18 hours of life between cycles.

This puts it in the same weight class as the 14-inch LG Gram and the 13.3-inch Fujitsu LifeBook lineup, even as it offers considerably beefier internals than either model.

Multi-day battery life on a Linux laptop

The Lemur Pro is priced at a premium, starting at $1,999 on its website before a $76 discount kicks in, but one can quickly see why the manufacturer is pricing it near $2,000.

The laptop offers 32GB of non-user-upgradeable LPDDR5X RAM, a base configuration of a 1TB SSD, WiFi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, and a choice between an Intel Core Ultra 5 325 or X7 358H CPU. The former is an 8-core CPU, while the latter is a considerably beefier 16-core CPU that is a crucial part of its performance-centric Panther Lake offerings.

Users can kick things up a notch by upgrading their storage to 4T via the website's built-in configurator and choosing whether they want WiFi, Bluetooth, a webcam, or a microphone.

System76 states that the Lemur Pro caters to students, frequent travelers, digital nomads, developers, engineers, and IT professionals, to name a few, and that some may want an airgapped computer, while others may have no need for a webcam or microphone, or may consider either a security risk.

Potential buyers can also choose between a 14' FHD+ display and a 16' QHD+ display, even as the laptop continues to offer up to 18 hours of battery life in both configurations.

Apple's own MacBook Air is also said to offer up to 18 hours of video playback and 15 hours of wireless web browsing, putting it within the same endurance range as the Linux-based Lemur Pro. In our review, we found that the claim largely holds, with 15.5 hours of battery life when browsing the web.

Carl Richell, the founder and CEO of System76, praised the laptop while noting that Intel's Panther Lake chips were a crucial part of the Lemur Pro's overhaul.

While there has been no independent review confirming the Lemur Pro's battery life claims, if they hold, the MacBook Air M5 might just have a serious, powerful contender vying for a chunk of its developer and IT professional audience at the same time Apple has decided to raise prices across the board, making for a perfect storm, even as it comes with twice the RAM on offer by default.

Whether it's business travel or a summer essential, the deal I've found on this Anker portable power station is unmissable, with a $530 saving.

Right now, the Anker Solix C1000X Gen 2 with the solar panel bundle is down to $670 (was $1200) at Best Buy. This deal gets you the power station AND a solar panel together, which is the way most buyers will want to use it.

Fun fact: The C1000X Gen 2 is a Guinness World Record-holding power station for the fastest AC recharge in its class — a full charge in 49 minutes. And at this bundle price, it’s one of the most compelling portable power station deals I’ve seen this year.

Today's top portable power station deal

The 49-minute AC recharge is the feature that genuinely changes how you use a portable power station. Most 1kWh competitors take 90 minutes or more to fully charge, which means planning your entire day around them — plugging in before bed, hoping it’s ready by morning. The C1000X Gen 2 flips that: drain it during an outage overnight, plug it in when electricity returns, and it’s fully topped up before you’ve finished your first coffee. For camping, it means you can charge at a hookup site during breakfast and have a full battery before heading out. Reviewers have independently confirmed and timed it, and Anker has it certified by Guinness World Records.

The 2000W continuous output with a 3000W peak via SurgePad covers nearly everything most households need in a backup power scenario: a full-size refrigerator, a window air conditioner, a microwave alongside a laptop and phone charger, or a CPAP machine with heated humidifier. The SurgePad technology handles the startup current spikes from motor-driven appliances like compressors without tripping the unit, which is a common failure point in cheaper power stations.

The 100W bifacial solar panel included in this bundle is the right companion piece. Bifacial panels capture solar energy from both the front and the reflected light from the ground surface behind them, generating roughly 15–20% more power than a single-sided panel of the same nominal wattage. Place it on light-colored gravel, sand, concrete, or any high-reflectivity surface, and you’ll consistently outperform a standard 100W panel in the same conditions. The C1000X Gen 2 supports up to 600W of solar input, so this 100W panel can be supplemented with additional panels later for faster off-grid recharge times.

At 24.9 lbs, the C1000X Gen 2 is one of the lighter 1kWh LiFePO4 power stations available — meaningfully lighter than the Anker F2000 we covered in an earlier deal post, which tips the scales at 61.7 lbs. A handle is built in, making it genuinely portable rather than just technically movable. IPX4 water resistance means it handles light rain and splashes without issue, though it’s not designed for full submersion or exposure to heavy downpours.

The LiFePO4 battery chemistry is rated for 4,000 charge cycles before dropping below 80% capacity — meaningfully higher than older lithium-ion power stations rated for 500–1,000 cycles. Used twice a week, that’s roughly 40 years before the battery degrades noticeably, which is a practical way of saying you won’t ever need to replace this for battery wear. Anker backs it with a 5-year warranty, and its customer support reputation is consistently among the strongest in the portable power category.

The 10ms UPS switchover speed is a useful spec for home office users and anyone with sensitive electronics. When grid power drops, the C1000X Gen 2 switches to battery output before most computers or NAS drives can register the interruption, protecting data and maintaining a continuous power stream for connected devices.

A quick note on naming, since Anker has made this confusing: the C1000X Gen 2 is the big-box retail version of the C1000 Gen 2, sold through Best Buy, Home Depot, and similar stores. It’s essentially the same unit with a slightly different colorway (Dark Grey) and a marginally different port configuration — one fewer AC outlet compared to the online-exclusive C1000 Gen 2. If you’re buying from Best Buy, this is the right listing; the difference in daily use is minimal.

For camping, emergency home backup, or any use case where you want both fast recharge and reliable solar capability in a single portable package, the Anker Solix C1000X Gen 2 bundle is a strong recommendation at this price.

Also consider: More portable power station deals

• Shop all the portable power stations at Amazon

For engineering students looking for desktop-class PC for the dorm room, I've spotted a great deal on the hugely expandable powerhouse GMKtec K8 Plus mini PC, currently down to $810 (was $940) at Amazon.

Earning 4.5 stars in our review, we called this an "understated mini PC that delivers far more power than you'd expect for the price." Putting it through its paces, we found it handled demanding tasks with total ease. With its Ryzen 7 8845HS CPU and upgradeable 32GB DDR5 RAM, it's already well-specced for computational tasks. But with the dual USB4 ports, you can also hook up an external graphics card for more intensive engineering projects.

My team's tested and reviewed the best laptops for engineering students, but if you're looking for a heavyweight mobile workstation you don't need to lug across campus, this mini PC is a top alternative at a great price. I've also added some great alternatives below based on our tests.

Top mini PC deal for engineering students

There's not a lot we didn't like about the GMKtec K8 Plus when we tested out this mini PC (read our review here). It's flawless for day-to-day tasks like writing essays in Microsoft Word.

It's a high-performance machine that's way better than you'd expect considering the relatively low cost. During benchmarking, it surpassed every other machine at this price.

But its the upgradeability that really marks out this for engineering students rendering and running CAD programs.

In our final verdict, we noted "Overall, considering the price, the K8 Plus is an exceptional machine with the bonus that the USB4.0 and OCuLink ports enable a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to the upgradability of this machine."

The only caveat here is that the deal price is only available to Prime members - without that, it's $940. You can sign up here for a free 30-day trial.

For more top-performing machines, we've tested the best mini PCs.

Also consider: More mini PCs for engineering students

• See all mini PCs at Amazon

The FlexiSpot C7 is one of those office chairs we've long recommended for anyone who wants all-day comfort without paying premium prices.

And right now, the FlexiSpot C7 is down to $300 (was $430) at FlexiSpot. Offering a huge amount of adjustability for fine-tuning comfort levels, this mid-range office chair punches well above its weight. For UK readers, the C7 is also on sale for £280 (was £380) at FlexiSpot.co.uk.

The real highlight here is the adaptive lumbar support that offers consistent support as you shift in your seat. It's not a feature we often see on mid-range and budget office chairs. In our review we called it “an excellent option for those wanting a quality, highly adjustable, and highly supportive chair that will last for years.”

Today's top office chair deal

Our reviewer Collin Probst tested the C7 across full working days and found it genuinely comfortable throughout — no pinch points, no back pain, no need to get up and adjust. Read the full FlexiSpot C7 review for the complete picture.

The feature that sets the C7 apart from cheaper ergonomic chairs is its self-adaptive lumbar support. Most chairs at this price offer a fixed lumbar pad that sits in one spot and stays there whether or not you’ve shifted your weight, leaned forward, or slouched slightly over the course of a long afternoon.

The C7’s lumbar mechanism moves with your micro-adjustments throughout the day, consistently maintaining contact with your lower back rather than losing it the moment you stop sitting perfectly. In our testing, this translated directly to less lower back fatigue over sustained sessions.

The 4D armrests are the other standout feature for the daily work use case. At this price most chairs offer 2D armrests that only go up and down — the C7’s go in four directions (height, width, depth, and pivot angle), which means you can position them to actually meet your elbows where they naturally rest for your specific keyboard and monitor setup. Our reviewer, who is 6’1” with broad shoulders, found them easy to dial in and comfortable for his frame — a useful data point for taller users wondering about fit.

The breathable mesh back addresses the heat issue that plagues many office chairs with solid foam backs. Over an eight-hour day in a warm room, the mesh panels allow air to circulate behind you rather than trapping it, which makes a noticeable comfort difference in the kind of sustained daily use this chair is designed for.

The 90–128-degree recline range is wider than that of most mid-range office chairs, which typically cap out at 110–115 degrees. The full recline position is comfortable for reading or taking a call in a relaxed posture, and the recline tension is adjustable so you can tune how much resistance the chair offers when you lean back.

The up-to-10-year warranty is a meaningful differentiator compared with most mid-range competitors, which ship with 2 or 3 years of coverage. At about $30 per year over the warranty period, that long-term support materially changes the value calculation for a chair you plan to use every day.

One honest note from our best office chairs guide: the C7’s build quality doesn’t match the premium feel of Steelcase or Herman Miller chairs, and the mechanisms — while well-specced — don’t have the same precision glide as higher-end models.

But that's to be expected, and honestly, it never felt like a huge trade-off once we were actually in the seat.

For more of our favorite furniture, we've tested the best office chairs around - and yes, the FlexiSpot C7 is on the list.

• US: See all office chairs from FlexiSpot
• UK: See all office chairs at FlexiSpot.co.uk

• Meta was the source of bacterium contamination that shut down Cheyenne water reclamation plants
• The water was used to fill-and-flush closed loop cooling systems at a Meta data center
• The city of Cheyenne has indefinitely suspended the treatment of reclaimed water from data center projects

The Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities has announced that the city will no longer be accepting industrial wastewater from its closed-loop data center cooling system after detecting a rare bacterium in the city’s reclaimed water plants.

The bacterium was detected after Goat Systems LLC—responsible for the construction of Meta’s Cheyenne campus—discharged waste water into Cheyenne's sanitary sewer. Testing then identified the bacterium Cupriavidus gilardii had contaminated the plant, with the board recently naming the Meta data center as the source of the contamination.

Two water reclamation plants were pushed offline, with a multi-month cleanup operation taking place. Goat Systems originally had its water discharge privileges revoked in late March, ahead of the wider ban against other Cheyenne data centers.

Meta contaminates water reclamation plant

The contamination occurred during a fill-and-flush operation for the closed-loop cooling systems on the campus. This cleaning method flushes water through the pipework used to cool datacenters in order to remove debris and contaminants, before the system is filled with cooling liquid and sealed.

The reclaimed water was then routed through to the city’s sanitary sewer by Goat Systems. According to Frank Strong, the Board's engineering and water resource division manager, the source of the bacterium remains unknown, but the water used to flush the system was purchased directly from the Board.

The contamination incident has brought to light new concerns surrounding how water treatment plants can handle the industrial wastewater from data center construction projects. Many closed-loop systems used chemicals such as propylene glycol as an antifreeze agent, but many water reclamation systems are not able to handle the filtration of these and other chemicals.

Moreover, the water treated by the city of Cheyenne’s reclamation plants is reused to water public green spaces such as parks and golf courses, raising further risks that Cupriavidus gilardii could cause human infections if aerosolized.

The two facilities, Dry Creek and Crow Creek, were forced to close for maintenance and decontamination in February, but were cleared for operation in late June and have resumed processing reclaimed water.

Cheyenne City Councilman Pete Laybourn said that the revelation that Meta was the source of the contamination was, “a very, very unpleasant surprise,” adding that he has, “a lot yet to learn. It definitely complicates matters."

Predictions of water system interference come true

Many groups across the US advocating for the pause on data center construction have frequently cited concerns surrounding the use of local water and energy infrastructure. Now, both concerns have been legitimized.

Some communities in areas with new data center construction projects have experienced double digit percentage increases on electricity pricing as the new data centers require immense amounts of energy to produce the computational power needed for AI models. A bill currently making its way through Congress seeks to force tech giants to pay for the energy they use, as well as fund infrastructural upgrades to sustain reliable power for local communities.

In other regions of the US, data centers are being built in drought-hit areas, threatening already endangered local ecosystems and raising concerns around the prioritization of water resources for farms and local communities.

Via Tom’sHardware

If you’re heading back to school and need a proper desktop setup without taking up half your desk, the Geekom A5 is now $394 (was $437) at Amazon.

This 2026 Edition Windows 11 Pro mini PC comes equipped with AMD Ryzen 5 7430U processor, 16GB RAM, and 512GB SSD. In our tests, we found it “delivers a thoughtful design that ticks most of the general usage boxes.”

It’s compact enough to VESA-mount behind a monitor and forget about, capable enough to handle a full course load, and it ships with Windows 11 Pro and a 3-year warranty — a combination that’s hard to beat at this price for a freshman-year setup that needs to last. In the UK, the 16GB / 1TB Geekom A5 is currently down to £408 (was £479) at Amazon.co.uk.

Today's top Geekom mini PC deal

In our review of the 2025 Edition, which is largely the same machine, we found the Geekom A5 is a reliable, capable machine for day-to-day tasks.

The Ryzen 5 7430U is a 6-core, 12-thread processor with a 4.3GHz boost clock running at a 15–25W TDP — which is why this machine stays quiet. Under normal student workloads it barely spins its fan up, and even under sustained loads like extended video exports it stays in the high 50s Celsius. That matters if you’re running it on a desk in a dorm room where fan noise is actually annoying.

The four-display support is the feature that grows with you. Starting out you’ll probably connect a single monitor. By second year, plenty of students are running two screens — a presentation window and notes side by side, or a video editor and a browser simultaneously. The Geekom A5 supports up to four screens at once via its two HDMI ports and two USB-C DisplayPort outputs, so you’re never going to outgrow it on that front.

The upgradeable RAM and storage is a genuine practical advantage over mini PCs that solder their memory. Start with 16GB now; if you find yourself running out of headroom in your junior year when your projects get heavier, drop in another 16GB or 32GB of DDR4. It’s a standard SO-DIMM slot, not anything proprietary. There’s also a second M.2 slot for an additional SSD, which is handy once your storage fills up with coursework projects.

The 3-year warranty is the detail I’d point attention to. Most budget mini PCs ship with a 1-year warranty. Geekom's 3-year coverage on the A5 means if something goes wrong during your time at university, or the first few years of school, you’re still covered. For a machine bought as a back-to-school investment, that longer support window meaningfully changes the value calculation.

For students who need a capable, quiet, upgradeable desktop that fits anywhere and comes backed by real warranty support, the Geekom A5 is one of the smartest back-to-school buys available right now.

More Geekom mini PC deals

These are the Geekom mini PCs we've tested that are pitch-perfect for back to school and office tasks - all under $600 / £600.

• US: Shop all mini PCs at Amazon
• UK: See all mini PC deals at Amazon.co.uk

Whisper it, but I think that Clarkson's Farm season 6 might actually be on the up.

If you can bear to cast your mind back to the dramatic season 5 finale, you'll remember that in episode 7 Jeremy Clarkson revealed that he'd been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

"If all goes well, I'll see you for season 6. If not, I won't," was how the star signed off at the end of last season.

However, shortly after the final two episodes were released, Prime Video and Clarkson released a social media video confirming that season 6 is currently in production.

"So... bit of a year," Jeremy reflected on TikTok. "But, I'm delighted to tell you that season 6 of Clarkson's Farm is currently in production. And, that's particularly good news for me because... well, if you know, you know."

It's hopefully safe to assume that things are slowly getting better at Diddly Squat, then.

With season 6 still filming, another happy announcement might mean that forthcoming episodes are the most positive of all time... and it's all thanks to farm manager Kaleb Cooper.

Kaleb marries long-term partner as Clarkson's Farm season 6 continues filming

In an Instagram post, Cooper announced that he had tied the knot with his long-term partner Taya, having originally proposed in 2022.

In a caption, he wrote, "Such an amazing day yesterday celebrating our wedding! We both had the most amazing day! Mr and Mrs Cooper."

If you have a look at their first wedding photo, you'll notice that it's on a farm in front of a tractor. With Cooper's big life dream being to buy his own land and run his own farm, for the meantime, it stands to reason that Diddly Squat could be a likely candidate for the location.

We've currently got no idea if Clarkson, Lisa, or any of the other Diddly Squat crew were in attendance, but again, it could be likely. Jeremy himself is currently in remission as of mid-2026.

What is much more certain is that Kaleb's wedding, or at least the build-up and fallout, will be featured in Clarkson's Farm season 6. In fact, it would almost be silly for it not to be.

Not only have Kaleb's life and personal growth been well documented across the five seasons (remember his national tour during the season 4 premiere?), but season 6 is in desperate need of some light-hearted entertainment.

Jeremy's personal commitment to showing "warts and all" farming is admirable, but in the wake of season 5, I think we've had about as much of that as we can take.

If anybody is going to lead Diddly Squat out of trouble and into happier times, it's Kaleb.

For a laptop that blends the power of a creator laptop with a true business productivity focus, you'd be hard-pressed to find better than the MSI Venture 16, which is now $1029 (was $1120) at Newegg.

For a Copilot+ laptop with a flagship Arrow Lake processor, 32GB of DDR5-5600 memory, and a touchscreen in a business-ready chassis, that’s a compelling price.

For anyone using this as a primary work machine — particularly with multiple browser profiles, development environments, virtual machines, or photo editing applications running simultaneously — the difference between 16GB and 32GB is one you notice in real use rather than just on paper.

Today's MSI Venture 16 laptop deal

The Intel Core Ultra 9 285H is the highest-spec Arrow Lake-H chip Intel offers for laptops — a 16-core (6P+8E+2LPE) processor with a 5.3GHz boost clock and 24MB of cache. For a productivity laptop in this category, that’s meaningful headroom for video editing timelines, running virtual machines, compiling code, or handling large datasets without the machine slowing down. The integrated NPU gives the Venture 16 AI full Copilot+ PC certification, enabling on-device AI features in Windows 11 without relying on cloud processing.

The 32GB of DDR5-5600 in dual-channel configuration is the spec that separates this build from the cheaper 16GB variants in the Venture line.

The 16:10 aspect ratio is a practical everyday advantage worth calling out. The 1920x1200 resolution gives you more vertical screen real estate than a 1920x1080 panel of the same size, which translates to fewer scrolling interruptions in documents and spreadsheets, more code visible at once in an editor window, and a more natural reading proportion for web content. We flagged this same benefit in our ThinkPad T16 coverage — once you’ve used a 16:10 laptop for a while, 16:9 screens feel oddly cramped.

Intel Arc graphics covers the GPU side of everyday workloads — accelerating video decode and encode, driving an external 4K display via HDMI 2.1 or USB-C, and handling light photo editing and creative tasks. It’s not a discrete GPU for gaming or GPU-bound 3D rendering, and buyers with those needs should look at a machine with a dedicated card. For professional productivity, content review, and video conferencing use cases, Arc is comfortably ideal.

The 180-degree flat-open hinge and single-hand-open lid are thoughtful details that matter in conference rooms and desk-share environments. MSI’s AI Noise Cancellation Pro microphone array is one of the better implementations of AI-enhanced audio on a laptop.

We noted this in our hands-on of the MSI VenturePro line, and it translates across the Venture family. The 720p webcam is the spec that disappoints at this price; most competitors in the $1,000+ tier now offer 1080p cameras.

The 55Wh battery is smaller than we’d like for a 16-inch productivity machine, and real-world all-day battery life will depend heavily on workload and screen brightness settings.

Professionals who frequently work away from a plug for full days may find themselves reaching for the charger more than they’d want. The USB-C PD charging support (up to 100W) means you can use a compact third-party charger rather than the bundled 90W brick, which is useful for travel.

• See other laptop deals at Newegg.

• The FBI says it's now seized over 600 drones near World Cup venues
• Seizures have been recorded in every one of the tournament's US host cities
• This could have implications for all drone fans during national events

Back in mid-June the FBI made a big show of announcing that it had seized around 15 drones near World Cup venues, in what felt like a pointed and clear warning to would-be aerial photographers that the agency meant business.

Apparently, a lot of people weren't listening. Three weeks on, the FBI now claims it has seized over 600 drones across all 11 US host cities since the tournament began, with operators facing fines of up to $100,000 and potential federal criminal charges for violating temporary flight restrictions.

The enforcement operation dwarfs what we reported on just weeks ago. According to the FBI, seizures have been recorded in every one of the tournament's US host cities.

Miami leads the count at 99 confiscated drones, followed by Los Angeles at 91, Dallas at 78, and Atlanta at 77. Kansas City recorded 61 seizures, with Seattle (52), San Francisco (48), Boston (44), New York/New Jersey (38), Philadelphia (29), and Houston (24) rounding out the full picture. The flight violations have reached epic proportions.

The FBI's enforcement has relied on a combination of RF detection systems, radar monitoring and dedicated Counter Drone Enforcement Teams stationed around stadiums and fan festival sites on match days. Under authority granted by the Department of Justice, agents have been empowered not just to detect and track unauthorized drones, but to actively seize them and pursue charges against their operators.

The FAA's no-fly zones extend three nautical miles and up to 3,000 feet around host stadiums on match days — a restriction that has been widely publicized since before the tournament kicked off — with tighter one-nautical-mile, 1,000-foot zones around fan festival venues.

"The FBI and our partners will continue to identify drone operators who violate Temporary Flight Restrictions. Our collective goal remains that FIFA World Cup 2026 events are safe for all participants and attendees," one FBI agent stated, making clear that the seizures are set to continue all the way through to the final on Sunday June 19.

Analysis: What comes next could be worse than a $100,000 fine

600 seizures across 11 cities is a remarkable number — and not in a good way. These rules were well publicized by the FAA before the tournament, apps like B4UFLY (on iOS and Android) make checking airspace status a 30-second task, and multiple law enforcement agencies held press conferences specifically to warn operators about the consequences of non-compliance. And yet, in city after city, pilots still took to the skies.

The concern now isn't just for the individuals facing fines and confiscations, but for what this level of disregard signals to the regulators and lawmakers who will be deciding the future of civilian drone use in the US.

The FAA's existing framework for hobbyist and recreational drone operation is already more permissive than many countries — but that framework depends in part on the implicit argument that most operators are responsible and self-regulating.

600 violations in a single tournament, at one of the most high-profile enforcement operations in the FAA's history, makes that argument difficult to sustain.

The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics are less than two years away. If the World Cup enforcement figures are used as a benchmark, the case for tightening permanent restrictions around major events, expanding no-fly zones, or pushing for mandatory remote ID enforcement at a broader scale becomes significantly stronger.

Remote ID, which requires drones to broadcast identification and location data in real time, is already a legal requirement for most operators under FAA rules introduced in 2023, but enforcement has been patchy. The World Cup violations and seizures give regulators plenty of ammunition to push for something far more robust.

There's a wider reputational cost too. Drone manufacturers, industry advocates and responsible hobbyist pilots have spent years making the case that civilian drone use is a legitimate, low-risk activity that warrants a light-touch regulatory environment.

Every drone user who has ignored a well-publicized no-fly zone during this tournament has handed opponents of that argument exactly the evidence they needed, and if the regulatory response over the next few years turns out to be harsher than most drone enthusiasts would like, it will be difficult to claim that it wasn't, at least in part, earned.

As the World Cup moves into the quarter final stage, we'll be keeping an eye out to see if the flight restriction violations continue.

• Electricity demand is now growing faster than energy suppliers can keep up with
• Volatile AI workloads cause unpredictable peaks and troughs in demand
• AI could actually help predict, despite also being the cause

With three in four (77%) electricity execs now believing that data center energy demand will grow faster than utilities can keep up with, two-thirds (68%) expect electricity shortages to become more commonplace as demand for AI soars.

New data from a Capgemini report reveals just how unpredictable AI energy demands can be, with 77% admitting they struggle to accurately forecast demand amid volatile AI workloads.

Not only is this leading to more constrained energy supply, but also more extreme and less predictable demand spikes.

Data center energy demand is a whole new ball game

All of this comes as local opposition continues to mount against data centers, with residents increasingly concerned about power outages and rising energy costs. Just last week, a county in Virginia told data centers to revert to backup generators to free up grid capacity for local residents, with an ongoing heatwave causing a spike in electricity demand for air conditioning units.

Even data center companies are struggling to anticipate how much they could consume, with 67% of electricity execs reporting speculative applications for future capacity. Around a fifth (19%) of these don't even materialize, creating what Capgemini calls 'phantom demand,' forcing utilities to either overinvest unnecessarily or underinvest and create capacity shortages.

"The challenge is no longer only how much power is needed, but whether it can be delivered reliably, where and when it is required," Capgemini Global Head of Energy and Utilities Claire Gauthier wrote, citing AI's potential in helping to predict demand despite also being the cause of fluctuating and high demand. However, at the moment fewer than half (45%) currently use AI for grid optimization.

Looking ahead, most (87%) data center operators expect electricity consumption to rise over the next three to five years by an average of 30%.

• Portugal vs Spain Kick-Off time: Monday, July 6 | 8pm BST / 3pm ET / 5am AEST (Tue)
• Watch free on BBC (UK) / SBS (AUS) / CazéTV's YouTube (Brazil)
• Unlock your free streams with Norton VPN (60-day money back guarantee)

Watch Portugal vs Spain in the last 16 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 as veteran superstar Cristiano Ronaldo will aim to show young pretender Lamine Yamal who's boss

Ronaldo fired another rebuttal to his critics with a crucial equalizer from the penalty spot against Croatia in the last 32, setting Portugal on course for a last-gasp 2-1 win. That was his third goal of the 2026 finals, but the 41-year-old has had a mixed tournament and manager Roberto Martinez continues to face calls to drop the five-time Ballon d'Or winner from his starting XI. It was therefore notable that he substituted Ronaldo in the latter stages against Croatia with the score 1-1. Striker Goncalo Ramos started on the bench and scored the winning goal, but Martinez has stuck with Ronaldo for this huge last-16 clash.

Yamal wasn't even born when Ronaldo played at his first World Cup in 2006, but the 18-year-old has the chance to upstage his fellow forward with the planet watching. The Barcelona wonderkid let his team-mates grab the headlines in the 3-0 win over Austria in the last 32, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring twice to double his tally for the tournament, as Spain kept a fourth successive clean sheet. The Euro 2024 champions have found their groove and will take some stopping, while they have been boosted by the return to the bench of winger Nico Williams, who missed the last-32 tie with a groin injury.

The winner will set up a quarter-final against co-hosts USA or Belgium in Los Angeles on Friday.

So, read on as we show you exactly how to watch Portugal vs Spain for free from anywhere in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

Portugal vs Spain: Team News

Portugal XI: D Costa; Cancelo, Dias, Veiga, Mendes; J Neves, Vitinha; Neto, Fernandes, Felix; Ronaldo.

Spain XI: Simon; Porro, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Pedri, Rodri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal.

How to watch Portugal vs Spain for free

Portugal vs Spain is available to watch for free in multiple countries, including the UK, Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Switzerland and Turkey.

• 🇬🇧 UK: BBC (English commentary)
• 🇦🇺 Australia: SBS On Demand (English commentary)
• 🇧🇷 Brazil: CazéTV's YouTube (no account required)
• 🇧🇪 Belgium: RTBF / VRT
• 🇫🇷 France: M6
• 🇩🇪 Germany: ZDF
• 🇮🇪 Ireland: RTE Player (English commentary)
• 🇮🇹 Italy: Rai
• 🇳🇱 Netherlands: NOS
• 🇵🇹 Portugal: TV1
• 🇪🇸 Spain: RTVE
• 🇨🇭 Switzerland: SRF Play / RTS Play / RSI Play
• 🇹🇷 Turkey: TRT

Abroad? Can't access your free stream? Unblock your free World Cup stream with Norton VPN — more on that below.

Use a VPN to watch Portugal vs Spain live streams

It’s the World Cup, and if you’re traveling, you might discover your usual Portugal vs Spain stream is suddenly unavailable due to geo-restrictions.

Don’t worry, that’s exactly where a VPN can help. A virtual private network lets you connect to servers around the world so you can securely access your usual World Cup coverage as if you were back home.

We recommend Norton VPN. Here's why:

How to watch Portugal vs Spain in the US

US viewers can watch Portugal vs Spain on Fox and Telemundo (Spanish comms).

You can watch every World Cup game on Fox, FS1 and Telemundo, which are available on cord-cutters like YouTube TV (free trial), Hulu+Live TV, Sling (select markets), Fubo or DirecTV.

Those looking for a streaming service instead can watch Portugal vs Spain on Fox One (3-day free trial). Telemundo is available via Peacock as well.

Visiting the US from the UK? You can still watch your World Cup stream for free thanks to Norton VPN (try for 60 days).

How to watch Portugal vs Spain in the UK

UK customers are in luck as they can stream Portugal vs Spain for free on BBC. Live coverage is on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

You require a TV license and a valid UK postcode for an account (e.g. SE1 7PB).

Norton VPN can unlock your stream if you're abroad today.

How to watch Portugal vs Spain in Australia

Portugal vs Spain will be shown for free in Australia on SBS On Demand.

The streaming platform has every game of the tournament for free, making it the perfect place for your World Cup viewing.

Traveling for work or on holiday? A VPN like Norton VPN can help unlock your free stream.

How to watch Portugal vs Spain in Canada

In Canada, TSN will be broadcasting Portugal vs Spain.

You can live stream via the TSN+ streaming platform, which costs CA$8 per month or CA$80 per year.

Outside of Canada? Use Norton VPN whilst you're traveling away from home to unlock your stream.

Portugal vs Spain: Match Information

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

• AdGuard VPN is available to download directly from the Microsoft Store
• This isn't a new version, just an easier way to install and manage the app
• The standalone installer on AdGuard's website remains available

Finding and setting up AdGuard VPN on Windows just became a little less fiddly.

The app has arrived on the Microsoft Store, letting users on Windows 10 and later find, install, and update the app in the same place they already get everything else.

Until now, Windows VPN users had to visit AdGuard's website, download a standalone installer, and run it manually. That route still works, but the Store listing trims the process down to a couple of clicks and folds AdGuard VPN into the background update system Windows handles automatically.

Crucially, this is not a rebuilt or redesigned app. The provider stresses it's the same AdGuard VPN people already use, simply served through a more convenient channel.

The move follows AdGuard's recent arrival on the Mac App Store, continuing a busy stretch of platform expansion for the Cyprus-based provider.

What the Microsoft Store listing changes

For users, this change is mainly about convenience. We all know how to get one of the best VPN apps from an app store: open the Store page, search for the app, and click install.

From there, the app can update automatically in the background alongside your other Store apps, so you're less likely to end up on an outdated build.

Discovery is another big win, as downloading through Microsoft's marketplace means you're getting the official, verified build.

Fake and copycat VPN listings have become a genuine problem recently, and security researchers have repeatedly warned that attackers disguise malware as trusted VPN brands. Even legitimate providers like Proton VPN and X-VPN have been impersonated, so a single authentic listing reduces the risk of grabbing a lookalike.

There's also easier app management, since installs, updates, and reinstalls all live in one familiar spot, plus the ability to read and leave reviews directly on the Store page.

Billing and the standalone installer stay put

Even if you download through the Microsoft Store, subscriptions are still handled directly through AdGuard. This keeps your plan under your own control and avoids store billing lock-in, along with the flexible subscription options AdGuard offers on its own site.

And, if you prefer downloading software directly, nothing is being taken away. The standalone installer on AdGuard's website remains available for anyone who'd rather skip the Store entirely.

It's a small but sensible addition to an app that already leans on AdGuard's own open-source VPN protocol, designed to disguise VPN traffic as ordinary HTTPS to slip past firewalls and network blocks. A paid subscription still covers up to 10 devices at once with AES-256 encryption, whichever way you choose to install it.

• New data from battery analytics company Recurrent has been released
• It shows the average EV retains 95% of its original battery capacity
• Battery replacement rates have dropped dramatically over recent years

A new study from battery analytics company Recurrent has revealed that the average electric vehicle retains up to 95% of its original driving capacity after five years on the road.

Although early EV manufacturers were concerned that battery packs would degrade to the point where they would need replacing, the data is now showing that the cells are dramatically out-performing original predictions.

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the findings point to the fact that advances in battery chemistry, thermal management systems, and vehicle software have significantly improved battery longevity, allowing EVs to effectively travel the same sort of distances as their ICE counterparts without the need for a battery pack replacement.

Recurrent’s statistics state that roughly one in 12 electric vehicles built between 2011 and 2016 required battery replacements. For EVs produced from 2022 onward, that figure has dropped dramatically to just 0.3 percent.

While the report notes that frequent high-powered DC charging can accelerate battery degradation compared with regular charging from slower, domestic outlets, Digital Trends reveals that data from Geotab shows batteries frequently charged at high power still retain about 89.7 percent of their original capacity after several years.

As a result, EV owners are finding their batteries are retaining more capacity, even after very high mileage, than originally predicted.

The Wall Street Journal report cites a UK-based EV dealer whose five-year-old Tesla Model 3 has clocked up 247,000 miles, yet the estimated range is only a few miles less than the official WLTP figure when new.

Analysis: Used EVs require transparent battery health information

Despite several recent reports dispelling the myth that EV batteries degrade to a point that they are near-useless after a few years, consumer confidence remains low when it comes to the issue.

Digital Trends claims that a 2025 survey by AutoPacific found that fears over expensive battery replacements remain the leading reason many prospective buyers avoid electric vehicles in the US.

As such, it is extremely important that used electric vehicles are advertised with a clear and transparent battery health certificate that allows buyers to quickly and easily assess how maximum range might be impacted by any degradation.

A number of used car dealers are already signed up to independently certified EV battery diagnostics schemes, such as those from Generational and Dekra in the UK, but many are calling for an industry-wide standard.

A poll conducted by Startline finance back in 2025 found that nine in 10 used car dealers said the used electric car sector needs an industry-wide scheme for battery health tests.

On top of this, 78% believed that battery health is an essential consideration for most electric car buyers

Getting started with smart home can feel intimidating, not least because it feels like there's sure to be a hefty cost involved. It doesn't have to be that way, though. I asked the TechRadar team for their top affordable smart home recommendations, and they came through with some real winners. All the gadgets featured below come with the stamp of approval from TechRadar, will make your home that little bit more convenient, and won't cost you more than $50 / £50. Hit the 'View details' button to learn more about each one.

Budget-friendly smart home

• Valve shares open-source files for an e-paper screen for Steam Machine
• Anyone can download, edit, and share the files
• The screen can attach to the Steam Machine's body and show useful information

I have to admit, after Valve announced the $1,049 / £879 (around AU$1,500) price of the Steam Machine, my excitement for the compact gaming PC plummeted – but a recent move by the company has gone some way to restoring my faith.

As Brad Lynch pointed out on Twitter, Valve has shared the instructions, 3D print files, software and list of needed materials for people to build their own e-paper display that can be attached to the body of the Steam Machine, which can then be used to show information such as the temperatures and performance of the PC’s components.

Dubbed the ‘inkterface’, this second screen turns the Steam Machine into a retro-looking PC, and it’s a great reminder of why PC gaming can be so fun, as well as why, despite having its own issues, Valve continues to be one of the most interesting companies in the gaming industry.

This is what Valve suggests you need:

• 1 x Adafruit ESP32 Feather with 2MB PSRAM
• 1 x Adafruit eInk Breakout Friend
• 1 x Adafruit 5.83" Monochrome eInk Panel
• 13 x M2.5 x 5mm Pan Head Machine Screws
  • McMaster
  • Amazon
• 4 x 1/4" x 1/4" x 3/16" Stepped Magnet SB443-OUT

Do it yourself

The fact that Valve is sharing these files and instructions as open source is very commendable, as it means anyone can use them and change, update, and improve them without paying a penny – as long as you have the appropriate tools and materials.

I can’t imagine Sony or Nintendo supporting, let alone encouraging, their customers to modify their consoles. Valve’s embracing of open-source (see also its use of Linux for SteamOS) shows that while it’s taking a console-like approach in some areas with the Steam Machine, it hasn’t completely abandoned the openness and customizability of PC gaming.

Being able to build your own rig, tweaking and modding your PC, is one of the things I love the most about PC gaming, so it’s great to see that Valve hasn’t completely abandoned its PC roots. Offering ways to add weird, quirky, but also useful, parts to the Steam Machine suddenly makes it a lot more interesting.

Of course, I still think building your own compact gaming PC and installing SteamOS to make your own Steam Machine is a better-value (and more fun) way of doing things, and, again, it’s a testament to how open PC gaming can be.

Even if you don’t have the time, materials or inclination to build your own ‘inkterface’ display for your Steam Machine, you’ll still be able to benefit, as other builders, and even retailers, will be able to make their own and sell them.

The future success of the Steam Machine, then, could hinge on its hackability, which could also be the key to prolonging its lifespan. While I’m not entirely sold on it yet, this does go some way to making the high price a bit easier to swallow.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX: Two-minute review

MSI has something of a mixed history with gaming laptops. I've reviewed quite a few products from the Taiwanese computer hardware brand, and in the past, I've championed MSI for its ability to provide high-performance products with very competitive price tags.

Unfortunately, it seems that the ongoing RAM crisis has caused MSI's latest high-end gaming laptop, the Raider 16 Max HX, to take a hit in this department. Needless to say, this laptop is very far from cheap, with my review configuration clocking in at a steep $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235).

I'll dig more into the pricing details further down in this review, but the days of wallet-friendly gaming laptops are truly over. That's not a pure criticism of MSI, but I'll admit I balk a bit less at a sky-high price tag on something like Razer's Blade 18; at least Razer gear has always cost a premium, while MSI has frequently offered comparable specs at more reasonable prices.

Setting aside the price tag for a moment, though: is this a good gaming laptop? Well, for the most part, I'd say yes. Performance is strong across the board, with an Intel Core Ultra processor and Nvidia RTX 5000 GPU combined with 32GB of RAM to deliver high framerates in games and power through creative workloads. It's well-equipped for AI-focused workloads too, if you're looking for a device that can pull double duty for both work and play.

The VESA-validated QHD+ screen is bright and colorful, with optional OLED models available in some regions. The chassis is pretty chunky – I certainly wouldn't recommend the Raider 16 Max HX to anyone looking for a laptop they can easily take on the go – but it makes good use of that size, with a full-scale keyboard that doesn't feel cramped in use and a great selection of ports for physical connectivity.

Pricing aside, my main criticism of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX is the overall build quality. The plastic outer casing and screen hinge feel sturdy enough, but the keyboard housing has far too much flex on firm keypresses, and the touchpad is frankly abysmal, feeling like it might break if I pressed down too hard.

I'll delve more into these issues in the design section of this review, but I will say this here: they're not absolute dealbreakers. For starters, you should really be using one of the best gaming mice with any gaming laptop anyway, so the weak touchpad shouldn't actually be a huge problem for actual gaming. Overall, I did quite like the Raider 16 Max HX – it's simply difficult to recommend such a high-end laptop in the current hardware climate.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Price & availability

• Starts from $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350)
• Available now in the US and UK
• Higher-end configurations get expensive fast

Even the base configuration of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX isn't cheap, starting out at $2,999 / £2,249 (around AU$4,350) for a version with the Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti graphics card, 16GB of RAM, and a less powerful Intel Core Ultra 7 CPU.

The review unit I received from MSI is a high-spec model, packing an RTX 5090 and Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus processor along with 32GB of RAM. This configuration will set you back a rather eye-watering $4,299 / £3,999 (around AU$6,235). There's also a middle-ground model, which uses the RTX 5080, and a few interstitial configurations that swap out the CPU, RAM, or display for slightly different components (including the aforementioned optional OLED display).

In short, it ain't cheap. Sure, you can find more expensive laptops out there, but not many of them. I can't comment on it with absolute confidence since I was sent an RTX 5090 version, but my past experiences with laptop RTX 5070 Ti GPUs lead me to suspect that the lower-end models might actually provide slightly more bang for your buck than the top-spec configurations.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Specs

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Design

• Large, bulky 'gamer' design
• Bright, colorful display
• Plenty of ports and good cooling

Make no mistake, this is a gaming laptop through and through. From the translucent WASD keys to the patterned lid and RGB lightbar across the front of the chassis, the MSI Raider 16 Max HX absolutely screams 'gaming aesthetics' – so it might not be the laptop for you if you want something you can take into a serious office environment as well as gaming at home.

This advice goes double, in fact, because the Raider 16 Max HX is a bit of a chunky device, which hurts its portability. Weighing more than two and a half kilos and measuring over an inch thick with the lid closed, it's far from a lightweight laptop.

That being said, I won't knock the score down for the bulky chassis. MSI has made good use of the extra size, squeezing in a full-size RGB-backlit keyboard with a numpad, yet the main key spread doesn't feel cramped – I found it pretty good for typing, with decent spacing and a reasonable amount of travel. Unfortunately, the aforementioned flex in the keyboard housing gives a slightly spongy feel on firm presses, which may turn some users off.

The large chassis has some other bonuses, too; you get a rich selection of physical ports here, which I'm always pleased to see. In addition to multiple USB-A and USB-C (Thunderbolt 4) ports, you also get HDMI for connecting a second display and an SD card reader – potentially excellent for digital photographers or filmmakers who want to use their laptop both for gaming and editing work.

A bulkier design also allows for superior cooling. I'll dig into this more in the performance section, but long story short: this Raider has a pretty solid cooling solution, utilizing a triple-fan design with five large exhaust vents that help keep the laptop from getting too warm even during lengthy gaming binges. Considering that some gaming laptops can get pretty toasty when running graphically demanding titles, this is a good inclusion.

There's also a degree of upgrade flexibility here, with a removable underside panel that lets you swap in a new SSD (with an empty slot) or upgrade the RAM should you so desire. This isn't an uncommon sight in modern gaming laptops, but I always appreciate the option to boost my system a little.

Moving over to the display, it certainly feels like it belongs on a high-end laptop, delivering good maximum brightness and color reproduction even on the default IPS panel in my review unit (certain high-spec configurations swap this out for an even more vivid OLED panel instead). The QHD+ (1600p) resolution and 240Hz refresh rate are ideal for gaming – especially if you're into fast-paced esports games that demand a high framerate, like Counter-Strike or Valorant.

Above the display sits a 1080p webcam, which also includes a physical privacy shutter. In my opinion, physical shutters or camera killswitches should be mandatory in laptops, so I'm glad to see one included here.

I really do need to address the touchpad. This might be one of the worst-feeling touchpads I've ever seen on a 'premium' laptop; in fact, I've legitimately seen better pads on budget-friendly Chromebooks. Clicks feel wobbly and unsatisfying, the whole housing flexes far too much even on less forceful presses, and right-clicks sometimes fail to register unless your finger is in the extreme bottom-right corner of the pad.

It's just... bad. I acknowledge that in practice, this won't be a massive issue since all but the most unhinged PC gamers will always use a mouse over a touchpad, but considering that my review model costs in excess of four thousand US dollars, it feels egregiously poor quality.

Lastly, the speakers and microphone are decent but unspectacular. You could find a gaming laptop with superior audio features, but I won't mark the Raider 16 Max HX down for that, because much like the touchpad situation, any sensible PC gamer will be using a gaming headset anyway.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Performance

• Powerful AAA gaming performance
• Also good for creative and AI workloads
• Fans do get noisy

Shocking nobody, my RTX 5090-toting review unit of the MSI Raider 16 Max HX blasted through our benchmarking tests with aplomb, delivering top-notch performance throughout.

Naturally, that meant excellent framerates in a range of triple-A games; in addition to the ones visible in that boxout, I also tested Marathon, Elden Ring, Warframe, and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, and they all looked fantastic on the QHD+ display.

It was even able to average exactly 60 frames per second in Cyberpunk 2077 with the Ray Tracing Overdrive preset at the Raider's native 1600p resolution, using only Balanced DLSS upscaling with no frame generation – a notoriously demanding benchmark that batters many of the best gaming laptops.

So, both synthetic and real-world gaming tests went smoothly – but what about creative workloads? Well, the Raider 16 Max HX delivers on that front too, handily matching (and even exceeding, in some tests) the scores achieved by Razer's most recent Blade 18 with the same GPU. 3D rendering, video editing, statistical modelling, LLM training... you name it, the Raider can handle it.

The Intel Core Ultra 290HX Plus in my review unit is also a beast, delivering solid performance across both single- and multi-core workloads. For anyone looking to play CPU-bound games like large-scale management sims, strategy, and 4X titles, this ensures you won't encounter CPU bottlenecks that hamper performance.

I would note that during intensive workloads (predominantly games and creative software), the fans do get fairly loud. They're not the noisiest I've ever heard in a gaming laptop, but it's something potential buyers may want to bear in mind if they're planning to use the Raider in shared spaces, because they do have quite a noticeable whine that almost completely drowned out the fans of my nearby desktop PC during benchmarking. A good headset should insulate your ears from this noise, at least.

It also offers pleasingly fast SSD read and write speeds – which, in fairness, is something I would fully expect from a laptop in this price range, but is good to see nonetheless. Creative professionals who regularly work with large file sizes will appreciate how quickly you can transfer your files around.

Since this is an Nvidia RTX 5000 laptop, regardless of which configuration you purchase, you're also getting the full suite of performance-boosting software tools inside the newly redesigned (and hugely improved) Nvidia App. That naturally includes DLSS resolution upscaling, but also up to 4x frame generation – though I'd personally recommend sticking to 2x for now, for better visual fidelity – as well as features like Nvidia Reflex, in-depth system monitoring, and AI-powered filters like RTX HDR.

Unfortunately, it seems MSI couldn't resist cramming in a load of their own software as well, and to be brutally honest, this is mostly bloatware. The default MSI Center tool is... fine, I guess, letting you customize the RGB lighting as well as tweak system performance presets, but it's hardly groundbreaking stuff. Add in Norton 360 antivirus, Nahimic audio, the Intel Killer network tool, SteelSeries GG, MSI True Color, MSI App Player, and all the Windows Store nonsense Microsoft insists on pre-installing with Windows 11, and it all becomes quite annoying.

Mercifully, you can uninstall the majority of this garbage, or simply do a clean Windows install when you first set it up. But I'm never going to stop being mildly irritated by laptop manufacturers cramming as much software as possible into their devices – especially when some of them are literally mirrored by base functionality within Windows itself.

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Battery life

• Great for a gaming laptop
• Good at auto-switching to the iGPU
• Can be charged via USB-C or bundled adapter

MSI has evidently pulled some funky witchcraft with the Raider 16 Max HX, because it cleared the 8-hour mark in our video playback test – an exceedingly rare sight for a gaming laptop.

Okay, there aren't actually any magic spells involved here; the trick is in the new Intel Core Ultra chip that powers this Raider, which offers stellar power efficiency compared to older CPUs from the likes of Intel and AMD. Of course, the GPU will guzzle power when you're gaming (in my online gaming test playing Marathon on the Raider 16 Max HX, it drained from full charge to 10% in just over two hours, which is still decent), but the laptop will automatically switch to the Intel chip's integrated graphics when not running graphically-intensive software in order to conserve battery life.

I also found that it held charge very well, still packing more than 50% after sitting on my desk for several days following my initial unboxing and photography. You can charge it via the (very chunky) bundled adapter, or use any appropriate USB-C charger for slower but more portable charging if you ever opt to take it out of its usual desktop-replacement environment.

Should I buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX?

Razer Blade 18 (2026): Scorecard

Buy the MSI Raider 16 Max HX if…

Don't buy it if…

MSI Raider 16 Max HX review: Also consider

How I tested the MSI Raider 16 Max HX

• Replaced my usual system for 10 days
• Used for gaming and other tasks
• 8+ years of experience reviewing dozens of laptops

As usual for my laptop review process, I used the MSI Raider 16 Max HX as a replacement for my usual laptop and desktop PC, putting it through its paces in everything from gaming to my everyday work at TechRadar.

Naturally, I also ran the Raider through our synthetic and gaming benchmark testing suite as seen in the Performance section of this review, as well as playing several other games (just for fun!) which included Marathon, Warframe, Elden Ring, and my long-running obsession Slay the Spire 2 – though of course, that last one is hardly a hardware stress test, since it can literally run on my phone.

I've been a PC gamer since my tender pre-teen years, starting out on my dad's boxy beige home office desktop, and I've been a professional tech journalist reviewing all kinds of laptops and PC tech for nearly a decade now, starting out at Maximum PC magazine before making the jump to digital journalism and joining the TechRadar team. I've personally reviewed more than seventy laptops, so you can trust that my knowledge and experience give you reliable insights into the quality of the products I write about.

• First reviewed: July 2026
• Read more about how we test

How many unique passwords do you use to secure every single one of your hundreds of online accounts? If your answer isn't, "I have a strong unique password for every account," then you're among the millions of people at risk of having multiple accounts stolen from just a single password leak. All it takes is the right combination.

But that doesn't have to be the case. Using a password manager to generate and store your credentials is a secure and convenient way to prevent your accounts from being hacked. The best part is, Keeper has cut prices on its personal, family, and business starter plans by up to 50%.

Keeper's password manager offers secured password storage vaults, a password generator that easily complies with password strength requirements, and includes convenient features for privately sharing regularly used passwords - like the one for the Wi-Fi.

Why we recommend Keeper

Our Keeper review found the password manager to be an excellent addition to anyone wanting to improve their personal or household security.

The service uses zero knowledge architecture and device level encryption to keep the contents of your personal vault hidden from private eyes.

Rather than having to enter your master password each time you need to fill in your credentials, Keeper uses biometric security to access your vault. This uses the built in facial scan or fingerprint tech on your device. Keeper will also recognize when you are trying to log in to a website or app, and allow you to autofill the exact credentials you need.

Four households, the family plan includes five private vaults, allowing you to quickly share Wi-Fi or streaming passwords using Keeper's shared vaults.

These discounts apply to the first year only, so the value is highest for new customers or anyone switching from a monthly plan. After that, pricing goes back to standard rates.

• Amnezia VPN has restored its Premium service in Russia
• Amnezia Free is expected return in the coming weeks
• Roskomnadzor blocked over 90% of its local servers between June 1 and 15

Russian privacy provider Amnezia VPN has successfully restored its Premium service for users in the country, after suffering an unprecedented state-backed infrastructure strike.

Between June 1 and June 15, millions of Amnezia users in Russia lost their connection after the state censor, Roskomnadzor (RKN), launched a multi-pronged offensive that blocked over 90% of the provider's local servers.

The strike represents a dramatic escalation in Moscow's digital crackdown, deploying automated network fingerprinting and targeted cyberattacks to actively hunt down VPN infrastructure.

While the Premium tier is now back online with a newly updated, stealthier protocol, Amnezia has confirmed that its Free tier's Russian stack will return in the coming weeks.

For internet users trapped behind Russia's "sovereign internet" firewall, the stakes have never been higher. Identifying the best VPN has become a critical lifeline to the free web as the state dumps massive resources into its censorship machine.

A sophisticated, $898 million censorship machine

According to Amnezia’s incident analysis, Roskomnadzor has abandoned basic IP-blocking in favor of a highly automated, aggressive ruleset.

By analyzing network traffic, Russian authorities appear to have learned to identify the unique "network fingerprint" of specific VPN protocols — Amnezia's proprietary AmneziaWG protocol included.

Once RKN's internet censorship and filtering system (known as TSPU) detects this fingerprint, it automatically blacklists the server's IP address. During the June assault, Amnezia attempted to swap out its servers, only to see the fresh IP addresses blocked within hours.

This technological leap is heavily state-funded. Forbes Russia and Kommersant estimate nearly 60 billion roubles (770million) is being spent to strengthen the filtering system, while The Moscow Times projects a wider RKN budget allocation of 70billion roubles (898 million) between 2026 and 2028.

To compound the technical assault, RKN paired its deep packet inspection with traditional hacking tactics, launching active DDoS attacks on VPN services. THis wave of attacks even targeted the Amnezia website, while deploying phishing schemes against the provider's staff.

Mazay Banzaev, founder of Amnezia VPN, believes this escalation is a proof that Roskomnadzor had been preparing a new set of rules for the TSPU for a long time, and fully applied them on June 1. He now expects these measure to be extended to other services operating in Russia.

"Such practices have been used in other countries too, Iran and China, for example, but in Russia they have been taken to a new level of automation: on average, a server is blocked within a few hours of users beginning to connect to it," said Banzaev.

Bouncing back with better security

Despite the severity of the attack, Amnezia confirmed that no infrastructure was breached and user data remained secure, crediting regular security audits by independent cybersecurity firm 7ASecurity.

To bypass the new TSPU ruleset, Amnezia has dropped a new version of its AmneziaWG protocol. This update strips out the specific feature that allowed censors to identify the VPN traffic in the first place. Users must update their AmneziaVPN client to restore their connection, as the provider has intentionally disabled older, vulnerable versions of the app to prevent repeat attacks.

To make up for the downtime, Amnezia is also compensating affected users. Premium subscribers on a 6-month plan will receive one extra month of service, while those on 12-month plans will receive two additional months.

The provider now has its sights set on future expansion, noting that interest in circumventing state censorship continues to surge globally. Amnezia plans to expand its network to 100 locations while developing new, open-source methods to outsmart the censors.

• Microsoft Frontier Company to embed 6,000 engineers and specialists into customer organizations
• Backed by $2.5 billion in Microsoft funding, it will help customers transform with custom AI
• This is the "largest" of its type, 2.5x the value of Amazon's alternative

Microsoft has launched a brand new subdivision to expand its own AI consultants into customers' companies backed by a massive $2.5 billion investment.

The new Microsoft Frontier Company will embed more than 6,000 specialists, AI engineers and technical experts directly inside customer organizations to help build, deploy and optimize their own AI strategies.

Microsoft described it as the "largest, most capable, outcome-driven engineering organization in the industry" – the scheme comes days after Amazon announced a similar scheme backed by $1 billion.

Microsoft launches forward-deployed engineer (FDE) program for AI

Though similar in concept to other FDE programs, Microsoft believes its Frontier Company will be different in that it adds extra layers of industry expertise, change management, continuous improvement and more, rather than just racing to deliver AI ROI.

Microsoft Commercial Business CEO Judson Althoff emphasized the importance of intelligence and trust in tailoring a suitable AI strategy for its customers. Intelligence's role involves understanding broad organizational context, workflows and processes, while trust is all about governance, observability and accountability.

Early Frontier Company customers include LSEG and Unilever, and of course, being an enterprise-focused solution, the company stressed that proprietary data, workflows and more remain private to companies and doesn't get used to train models.

Another major selling point for the "largest" AI FDE scheme in the industry is that customers can pick and choose between models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Microsoft and other open-source alternatives to provide the best solution for every workload, rather than forcing companies to lock in to one single tool.

Microsoft Frontier Company will be led by former President of Microsoft Asia, Rodrigo Kede Lima. "He has been at the forefront of helping customers and partners translate technology shifts into business outcomes, and understanding how platform innovation, engineering and partner ecosystem collaboration come together to drive growth," Althoff wrote.

• A new leak shows off the Nothing Ear 3(a)
• We see the earbuds in four colors, with the case
• The official unveiling is scheduled for tomorrow

If you can't wait until tomorrow for the official unveiling of the Nothing Ear 3(a), the budget wireless earbuds have now appeared in an extensive leak that reveals the design, colors, and features — so this is pretty much a full spoiler.

The early reveal comes courtesy of WinFuture, and is based on information from retailers who couldn't wait to get their listings live. We can see the earbuds in all four of the already announced colors: black, white, yellow, and pink.

There are a few interesting tidbits here, but when it comes to the aesthetics, there are no dramatic surprises: the look of these earbuds is very reminiscent of previous Nothing Ear models, with the semi-transparent stems and the transparent lid on the charging case.

What we do learn is that the Nothing Ear 3(a) are set to come with a 12-millimeter driver, as well as support for LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Wireless — so while the price is affordable, it seems the audio quality won't be compromised too much.

Touch to record

The leak gives us a glimpse of what seems to be a special feature we haven't seen from Nothing products before: the ability to press the stem of the earbuds to record voice notes, which is something to look out for.

WinFuture also refers back to previous leaks that mentioned a retail price of €99, so it would appear that the upcoming wireless earbuds are going to stick to the $99 / £99 / AU$169 starting price of the excellent Nothing Ear (a).

In our Nothing Ear 3 review, we praised those earbuds for offering "zealous, customizable sound" — though we weren't quite sure about how much value for money they offered, which is something this new pair might move the dial on.

One of the quirks of the Nothing Ear 3 is the 'Super Mic' that's included in the charging case, which you can use for calls and voice notes instead of the microphones on the earbuds — but as yet it's not clear if the Nothing Ear 3(a) will offer the same feature.

• Oura is bringing key features from its Ring 5 wearable to older models
• The features include Health Radar, live activity tracking, and more
• They’re now available on the Oura Ring 4 and Ring 3

Oura has just released its Ring 5 wearable, and we were pretty impressed with what was on show when we reviewed it. But if you haven’t been tempted to upgrade and are instead rocking an Oura Ring 4 or Ring 3, you might wonder if you’ll miss out on the new features packed into the latest model.

Well, the good news is that plenty of the new features have just been rolled out to those older products. Specifically, Oura is bringing Health Radar, live activity tracking, numerous Oura Labs tools, lost device locating, and a lot more.

Live activity tracking is a notable addition, as it adds real-time workout metrics to the Oura app, allowing you to monitor your progress as you’re keeping fit and active. It turns the Oura Ring into much more of a workout partner than before.

Health Radar, too, is a sizable update. With it on board, your Oura Ring can assess your long-term health signals in the background, including changes to your heart and breathing rates, to spot any emerging patterns in your health and wellbeing.

You’ll be able to find the full list of updates in Oura’s blog post. If you’ve been mulling over whether to upgrade, it could prove to be an insightful read.

A welcome change

Changes like this are very welcome, especially since the Oura Ring 4 is less than two years old at this point. It’s never nice to see relatively recent tech missing out on key software features that could feasibly be backported to it, so the fact that this has happened will be great news for owners of the Oura Ring 4 and Oura Ring 3.

The update seems to have gone down well with customers, too. Posting on Reddit, user beanizzle noted that their Oura Ring can now recognize long-haul travel without any status needing to be manually entered. Speaking of the change, the user said: “This is definitely a great new feature as I sometimes struggle to remember to give my body more grace after traveling through time zones.”

They weren’t alone. Further down the thread, other commenters remarked how their readiness scores went haywire after taking red-eye flights, while another Redditor declared that the feature is “long overdue but so glad to have it!”

If these are the sorts of features you’re looking for in a wearable, Oura’s latest update means you might not need to upgrade to an Oura Ring 5 if you already have a Ring 4 or Ring 3. And anything that can eke extra life out of your existing wearables is good with us.

The temperature is rising again, and fans are selling out fast, but you don't need to settle for something sub-par that will just waft warm air around. I've done the hard work for you, combing through online stores to bring you a list of eight top-quality fans from big names that are ready to dispatch right now — and they're all under £100.

There's something for every room here, including compact desktop fans for working, and extra-quiet tower fans to help you sleep better at night, plus lightweight handheld fans to keep you comfortable on the move,

Remember, they're likely to sell out fast as the temperature climbs, so I'd recommend grabbing one while you can. Personally, I've just opted for the MeacoFan Sefte 8in Air Circulator, which moves a large volume of air and is ideal for bringing the night breeze indoors when the temperature drops outside in the evening. Which one will you pick?

Quality fans under £100

Answer me honestly: do you actually understand what is going on in From season 4? I'm the first to admit that I have no idea, and it feels like the amount of lore I need to keep up with is spiralling out of control.

So it doesn't help, then, when the internet decides to add its own non-canonical lore that doesn't even exist. I'm talking about the Reddit rumors that From season 4 episode 11 exists, explaining all the plot holes that episode 10 (the actual season finale) left unanswered.

"Episode 11 is the best one yet," the thread begins. "They answered everything... every question."

A second fan added, "The pacing was insane. Answers actually landed instead of just more riddles."

But it should go without saying that From season 4 episode 11 doesn't exist, despite an alarming number of people searching for it.

Instead, we've got to wait for the already-renewed season 5, which is rumored to air at some point in 2027.

However, now is not the time to let our MGM+ subscriptions go to waste. From season 4 might be over, but get ready for your latest bingeable obsession: The Westies.

The Westies premieres on MGM+ this week — here's why you need to stream it

With a cast led by JK Simmons, The Westies follows a fictional version of the real-life Irish crime gang in New York of the same name.

As MGM explains, "The series is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall. Despite being outnumbered fifty-to-one by the Five Families of the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente.

"But internal conflict between the brash younger generation and the old-school leadership threatens to set a match to this powder keg, which will sweep the Westies into the FBI’s ever-deepening investigation into the Italian mafia."

If that hasn't sold you already, The Westies is getting an epic police procedural crossover in the form of Bosch star Titus Welliver, who is playing the lead FBI agent tasked with tracking the mobsters down.

Don't be fooled by the above trailer, either — new episodes are about as gory, gruesome and disturbing as TV can get. Episodes premiere on July 12th and are released on a weekly basis (just like From).

Sure, it's a completely different kind of mystery... but you're welcome, in advance.

• Xbox has announced that it is undergoing a "significant restructure"
• This will include the loss of 3,200 jobs over the fiscal year
• This includes 1,600 job losses today

Microsoft has announced that Xbox is to undergo the "most significant restructure" in the brand's history, with 1,600 jobs being cut today, for a total 3,200 jobs going over the coming months including four studios being jettisoned.

In another crushing blow for the people who make the games we love, these layoffs were strongly rumored to be coming this week — the sheer scale was unknown but predicted to be big. It turns out that was true.

In an email sent to Xbox employees that has now been made public via Xbox Wire, Xbox CEO Asha Sharma began by saying, "After careful consideration, I’ve made the difficult decision to reduce our team by approximately 3,200 throughout FY27. This will include approximately 1,600 role eliminations today, and in addition, four studios will leave Xbox to new management."

Sharma added: "Our business today is not healthy. We are operating at margins that are 3-10x lower than comparable platform and publishing businesses. We entered Gen 9 with a smaller install base and a higher cost structure. To grow, we bet on Game Pass, multi-platform, and a broader portfolio of content. While those businesses have created meaningful value, they did not grow at the pace we expected."

As well as the total of 3,200 jobs going this fiscal year, four studios are also affected. Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions are returning to being independent studios, while Ninja Theory and Undead Labs will gain new ownership with funding to complete their upcoming games, Senua and State of Decay 3.

Arkane — a studio many feared for in the run-up to this restructuring — is "beginning required consultation with its Works Council to review potential strategic options."

In a series of moves over the past decade or so, which has seen Microsoft acquire multiple studios, spend billions and billions of dollars, and make some curious decisions about Game Pass, prices, and more — all to take the brand from third in the console space to, well, third — this kind of feels like the bubble bursting before our very eyes. And the people who will pay the price will be the developers who make the games we all love playing.

The competition in artificial intelligence between the United States and China extends beyond a binary race for supremacy. The current landscape is more accurately characterized as "complementary competition."

While the United States and China compete, they occupy distinct positions within the global AI value chain, each possessing unique strengths that do not fully overlap.

This complementary competition is shaping the global AI industry through differentiated yet interconnected advantages.

The United States maintains leadership in foundational aspects of AI, including frontier model development, advanced semiconductors, cloud computing, basic research, and the broader developer ecosystem. Companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, and Nvidia significantly influence the architecture of the global AI industry.

For example, NVIDIA’s dominance in high-end GPUs provides the United States with a significant advantage in the computing layer. Additionally, leading universities, advanced research laboratories, and robust venture capital networks continue to supply AI development with talent, innovation, and funding.

According to Stanford’s 2025 AI Index Report, the United States attracted 109.1 billion dollars in private AI investment in 2024, and American institutions produced 40 of the world’s 50 most notable AI models.

This concentration of capital, research, and platform-building capacity reinforces the United States' position as a primary provider of the underlying AI architecture.

China's strengths in commercial contexts

In contrast, China is increasingly recognized for its strength in large-scale deployment of AI within industrial and commercial contexts. The Chinese industrial system is extensive, encompassing manufacturing, logistics, energy, automotive, electronics, and urban infrastructure. These sectors generate numerous real-world use cases for AI deployment, testing, and iteration.

China further benefits from tightly integrated supply chains and industrial clusters. For instance, in Shenzhen, hardware suppliers, software teams, factories, and logistics networks are highly interconnected, enabling rapid progression from concept to prototype to iteration. This integration allows China to embed AI into economic processes effectively, rather than confining its application to laboratory research or consumer chatbots.

This is why the U.S.-China AI competition is better understood as complementary rather than a zero-sum game. The U.S. provides many of the key enabling technologies, research breakthroughs, and software foundations. China excels at translating AI into industrial systems, business processes, and scaled commercialization. The two sides still compete intensely, especially over chips, standards, talent, and platform influence.

But they also pressure each other in different directions: the U.S. advances raise the technological frontier, while China’s deployment capacity pushes AI toward broader practice. Together, they shape the pace and structure of global AI development. This broader dynamic also elucidates why agentic AI products, such as Atoms, have disruptive potential.

A significant shift

This shift is particularly significant for small businesses and individual founders. For example, a local service company can develop internal booking tools, a startup can rapidly test landing pages and advertising campaigns, and a consumer brand can assess product demand before making substantial investments. In each scenario, the primary value lies not only in automation but also in time savings, cost reduction, and improved coordination.

Within the framework of complementary competition, products such as Atoms occupy the intersection of American and Chinese strengths. These products rely on foundational model capabilities, cloud infrastructure, and agent architectures typically associated with the American AI ecosystem.

However, their greatest commercial impact may occur in contexts characterized by rapid deployment, cost-effective experimentation, and industry-specific integration, domains in which China holds considerable advantages. Thus, the future of global AI will likely be determined not solely by leadership in research or deployment speed, but by the ability to connect advanced intelligence with practical economic workflows effectively.

This is where complementary competition is most evident.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadar Pro Perspectives, our channel to feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/pro/perspectives-how-to-submit